Abu Dhabi: Police are urging motorists to follow traffic rules after it was revealed that a man had accumulated a whopping Dh1.4 million in traffic fines.
Brigadier Salem Abdullah Bin Barak Al Dhaheri, Deputy Director of the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police, also pointed out that the second highest amount accumulated this year was Dh1.2 million by another motorist in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking at a virtual lecture on Tuesday evening through the Instagram account @majalisabudhabi, Brig Al Dhaheri explained that since Law No. 5 of 2020 was implemented last September, motorists will now have their vehicles confiscated if they exceeded Dh7,000 in fines for traffic violations.
6 major offences
Police pinpointed six main traffic offences that motorists carried out across Abu Dhabi roads, which included sudden deviation, failure to adhere to the speed limit, crossing a red light, not giving priority to pedestrians, not leaving enough distance between vehicles, and reckless driving.
“In 2020, there were 2,703 serious accidents and 215 deaths that were caused by traffic violations. They accounted for 48 per cent of all traffic accidents, which called for us to take stricter action against violators,” said Brig Al Dhaheri.
Law No(5), 2020
The amended law regarding the confiscation of vehicles in Abu Dhabi states that motorists are required to pay a fine of Dh50,000 to release their vehicle, if it was impounded for being involved in a collision or an illegal road race.
In accordance with Law No. 5 of 2020, the procedures for selling impounded vehicles in public auction start if a period of three months passed from the date of impoundment, without any action form the vehicle’s owner to unlock the impoundment.
A Dh5,000 fine will be levied against motorists who allow children below the age of 10 to sit in the front seat of a vehicle. A Dh5,000 fine will also be enforced against drivers who are caught speeding excessively, suddenly deviating on the road, not leaving a safe distance with other vehicles, and those who do not allow pedestrians to cross the road at designated crossings.
The cost of unlocking an impounded vehicle that was seized due to conducting changes to its engine or chassis without a permit is Dh10,000, while the value of unlocking a vehicle that was impounded due to exceeding speed limit by 60 km/h or more is Dh5,000.
The amended law aims at strengthening the traffic safety system, achieving the highest standards of security for road users, and increasing awareness of the public on the importance of adhering to traffic regulations.
Jumping the red light
According to Abu Dhabi Police statistics, the total number of violations recorded for crossing the red light from 2017 to 2020 amounted to nearly 33,725 violations, which caused 2,609 traffic accidents and 16 deaths.
Al Dhaheri pointed out that during the same time frame, reckless driving caused 21 accidents and 10 deaths. He also added that 14,188 incidents of sudden deviation were recorded, which led to 921 accidents and 33 deaths.
