UAE drivers rack up 10million speeding violations in 2024

Sharjah: The Ministry of Interior has released eye-opening traffic statistics for 2024, with a staggering 10,174,591 speeding violations caught by radars across the emirates.

Abu Dhabi topped the list with over five million speeding violations, followed by Dubai with over two million and Sharjah with over a million. The other emirates recorded under a million offences.

The most alarming statistic was that there were over five million instances of drivers exceeding the maximum speed limit by 20km/h and more than four million instances of drivers exceeding the maximum speed limit by no more than 30km/h.

These instances of speeding came despite the UAE imposing strict penalties for speeding violations. Exceeding the speed limit by more than 80km/h carries a fine of Dh3,000, 23 traffic points and 60-day vehicle impoundment.

Exceeding it by more than 60km/h carries a fine of Dh2,000, 12 traffic points and 30-day vehicle impoundment, while exceeding it by up to 60km/h carries a fine of Dh1,500, six traffic points and 15-day impoundment.

Fines for other instances of speeding range between Dh300 and Dh1,000.

The Ministry of Interior data revealed that negligence and lack of attention were primary factors behind many accidents. Reckless driving, such as running red lights, speeding, and failing to yield to other road users, and dangerous actions like reversing unsafely and overtaking in restricted zones were also identified as major reasons.

The statistics also shed light on the leading causes of accidents. Sudden lane changes topped the list, contributing to 763 accidents, while distracted driving caused 732.

Statistics on type of accidents revealed that 82 were caused by speeding without regard for road conditions. Abu Dhabi recorded 60 accidents, followed by Dubai with 19 and Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah with one each.

The ministry explained that the accidents caused by speeding had serious consequences, including vehicle flipping over, running over people, falling, rear-end collisions, hitting fixed objects outside the road, hitting animals, hitting lampposts, hitting concrete barriers, hitting signboards, among others.