Dubai: Dubai: Motorists in Dubai can benefit from 75 per cent discounts on their accumulated traffic fines as of Thursday under a special initiative, Dubai Police have said.
Dubai Police implemented the third phase of the traffic fines discount initiative, which was launched on February 7 this year.
A tweet from Dubai Police on Thursday said that motorists who haven’t committed any traffic violations since February 7, can enjoy the 75 per cent discount on fines accumulated before February under the initiative which aims to encourage motorists to clear their offences and improve their driving.
Under the initiative, motorists who do not commit traffic offences for three months (counted from February 6) benefit from a 25 per cent discount, while motorists who do not commit traffic offences for six months (counted from February 6) get a 50 per cent discount on their accumulated traffic fines. Motorists who do not commit traffic offences for nine months, however, will get a possible 75 per cent discount and motorists who do not commit a traffic offence for one year will enjoy a 100 per cent discount on their accumulated fines.
Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, director of the UAE Federal Traffic Council and Assistant Commander-in-Chief of Operations, had earlier said that the results of the initiative were impressive as deaths on Dubai roads had reduced 15 per cent up until August of this year.
According to Dubai Police, up until August 23 people had died since the initiative was launched in February, compared to 27 over the same period last year.
Meanwhile, Dubai Police said that a total of 425,371 drivers had benefitted from the 50 per cent discount on their accumulated traffic fines, amounting to 25 per cent of Dubai’s drivers. The issuing of traffic fines had also dropped by two per cent since the initiative was launched, compared to last year.
Colonel Jumaa Bin Suwaidan, Acting Director of Dubai Police’s Traffic Department, said that Indian drivers were the biggest beneficiaries of the initiative. Statistics show there were 95,866 Indian drivers who benefitted from the 50 per cent discount.
“The initiative helped drivers get discounts on their traffic fines,” said Bin Suwaidan. “Drivers will have a stronger motivation to follow traffic rules in order to get the discount. Motorists who did not commit traffic offences for 12 months, starting February 6, could get a 100 per cent discount on their accumulated traffic fines,” he said.
Register your car without paying traffic fines
Drivers can register their cars during the initiative without paying their Dubai traffic fines.
However, drivers need to pay their fines in other emirates.
The 100 per cent discount applies to all vehicles registered in Dubai, on condition that the driver abides by traffic laws and regulations and does not commit any violations for a full calendar year starting February 6.
Parking and Salik fines, however, are not included in the initiative as they are not traffic offences.
The discount will apply to the seizure of vehicles and traffic points too.
Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein had earlier said that the initiative will be presented to the Federal Traffic council who will decide on whether to adopt it nationally.
“After one year of the initiative [February 2020], the council will discuss and if results were successful then we will recommend it to the Ministry of Interior in a step to approve it throughout the entire UAE,” said Al Zafein
However, it is up to the Ministry of Interior to decide whether to adopt the Dubai initiative nationally or not.
How the initiative works
Motorists who do not commit traffic offences for three months (counted from February 6) benefit from a 25 per cent discount on accumulated fines from before February. Those who don’t commit offences for six months get a 50 per cent discount, nine months gets a 75 per cent discount and 12 months equates to a 100 per cent.
