Drivers who commit minor offences to be let off in Dubai
Those on their way to a fine discount will be given the benefit of the doubt
Dubai: Drivers who commit minor violations while trying to avail of fine discounts for good conduct on Dubai’s roads will be let off, according to Dubai Police Commander in Chief, Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri.
“We cannot waste the effort of a person who has been committed to six months since the initiative was launched in February, and is about to get a 50 per cent discount on irregularities because of a minor violation,” he told Arabic daily Emarat Al Youm.
Al Marri was referring to the Traffic Violations Settlement scheme, which was launched earlier this year that enables drivers to avail of discounts on earlier fines provided their driving record stays ‘clean’ for a certain period.
The initiative proposed that if a driver doesn’t commit any offence for over three months they can get a 25 per cent discount, six months makes them eligible for a 50 per cent discount, nine months equates to a 75 per cent discount and 12 months qualifies them for a 100 per cent discount.
Previously a ‘clean’ record during this time had been stipulated as ‘not committing any traffic violations’, however Dubai Police have now amended this to exclude ‘minor offences’.
What qualifies as a minor offence isn’t immediately clear, but it was inferred in the Arabic press as one that ‘doesn’t pose a risk to the public’.
Since its launch 457,154 drivers have received a 25 per cent discount from a total of 1,260,046 violations they recorded.
Traffic deaths are also down 31 per cent to 20 fatalities as opposed to 29 during the same period last year, according to Dubai Police. Traffic accidents have also decreased from 48,247 during the first quarter of last year to 43,947.