lane
Illustrative image. During the first half of 2024, 80 accidents were due to motorists not adhering to mandatory lanes. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai Police have recorded 94 accidents in the first six months of 2024 due to motorists not adhering to the mandatory lane rule.

Revealing these figures, Brigadier Jumaa Salem bin Suwaidan, Deputy Director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police, highlighted severe mistakes some drivers make that can lead to catastrophic traffic accidents.

Get exclusive content with Gulf News WhatsApp channel

He pointed out that many people become victims of others’ mistakes due to some drivers’ lack of awareness about the seriousness of their traffic violations. They may mistakenly believe their violations are insignificant, but they can result in tragic accidents harming innocent people.

He noted that several traffic violations have been observed in the emirate’s streets, which almost caused severe accidents.

“These violations include dangerous reversing, driving against the traffic flow, and not adhering to mandatory lanes. Drivers committed these violations to enter main streets, which resulted in some of the most dangerous accidents due to collisions between two vehicles moving in opposite directions towards a single point,” he explained.

He said the General Department of Traffic’s statistics recorded 94 traffic accidents in the past six months. Out of these, 80 accidents were due to not adhering to mandatory lanes. Violations of driving against the traffic flow led to 14 accidents. 

Last year, 177 traffic accidents were recorded, including 113 due to not adhering to mandatory lanes. Violations of driving against the traffic flow caused 28 accidents while failing to adhere to mandatory lanes led to 36.

Brigadier bin Suwaidan emphasised that the Federal Traffic and Traffic Law imposes a fine of Dh600 and six traffic points for driving against the traffic flow. The fine for dangerous reversing is Dh500 with four traffic points, while the fine for not adhering to mandatory lanes for light vehicles is Dh400.