Scores of drivers complain about fines
883 objections received this year, Director of Dubai Police Traffic Department says
Dubai: More than 800 objections were raised by the public about traffic fines during the first 10 months of this year.
Dubai Police's General Department of Traffic received 883 objections from various nationalities, said Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, the department director.
"Every person is entitled to object to their traffic fines and we have a committee at the traffic department to examine these objections from the public to determine their legitimacy. If the objection turns out to be correct then we immediately cancel it otherwise the motorist is required to pay the fine," he said.
Motorists can take their objections further to the traffic prosecution department if they are not convinced with the procedures of the department, he said, adding the traffic department's aim is not to collect money from the public but to curb violations and maintain safety.
A fine can be made via the cameras on Dubai's roads which are connected to the operations room, he added.
new rule
18,000 offences logged
More than 18,000 offences were registered in the first 10 days enforcing a new regulation on restricting certain vehicles from exceeding the speed limit by 10km per hour.
The new regulation which came into force at the beginning of the month, registered a staggering number of fines, said Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, Director of Dubai Police Traffic Department.
The regulation applies to trucks, buses and light vehicles such as pick-up trucks, minibuses and taxis as they face severe punishment if they exceed the speed limit by 10km per hour. Other motorists have been given a grace limit of 20km per hour. A fine of Dh500 is issued if they exceed this limit.
However, if the regulation proves to be a success in curbing the number of fatalities and accidents, as speeding is the major cause of accidents, the regulation will be applied to all kinds of vehicles.
Within the first 10 days, the hand-held radar registered 3,506 fines, out of which 2,540 were for regular light vehicles. These fines will be filtered out from the total as they don't fall within the categories mentioned in the regulation.
The radar gun fined 361 taxis, 297 minibuses, and 308 pick-ups. While, the 17 mobile radars registered 16,989 fines for heavy trucks and buses. The new regulation is currently implemented on high speed roads such as Shaikh Zayed Road, Emirates Road, Al Ain-Dubai road, Al Khail Road and Business Bay Bridge.
— S.A.N.
