Dubai: Dubai Police has launched an awareness campaign to inform motorists about the recent amendments made to Decree No. (29) of 2015 regarding vehicle impoundment in Dubai. The campaign aims to raise legal awareness among drivers and ensure traffic safety in the city. The amendments are designed to protect lives and property and align with the goal of reducing the traffic death rate.
Major General Mr. Abdullah Ali Al Ghaithi, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Operations Affairs at Dubai Police, explained that the amendments target reckless drivers and introduce strict fines for releasing impounded vehicles. These fines are not based on the value of the traffic violation but are intended to discourage dangerous driving behaviors.
Over the past four years, Dubai Police recorded 164 fatalities caused by speeding, reckless driving, serious traffic violations, and running red lights. The new amendments cover 13 types of violations, including new additions such as participating in races, performing stunts, causing chaos, deliberately running red lights, and driving with fake or no license plates. A specialized committee will determine whether a violation warrants the fine or not.
The fines for releasing an impounded vehicle range from $ 2,722 (AED 10,000) to $ 27,222 (AED 100,000), depending on the violation. Violations such as driving without license plates, excessive tinting of windows, and disorderly crowding around races or stunts have a fine of $ 2,722 (AED 10,000). Offenses like participating in races without permission, riding recreational motorcycles on paved roads, and reckless driving carry a fine of $ 13,611 (AED 50,000) each. Making fundamental changes to a vehicle, escaping from the police, and exceeding the accumulated fine amount have fines of $ 2,722 (AED 10,000) each.
The awareness campaign will run for seven weeks and consists of two stages: the awareness and education phase, followed by measuring the impact. Various media outlets, driving institutes, petrol station screens, billboards, and mobile apps will be used to raise awareness.
The campaign is being implemented in cooperation with several organizations, including Dubai Municipality, the Public Prosecution, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, and Emirates Auctions, among others. Dubai Police impounded 34 cars for reckless driving, 1,929 cars for endangering lives, and 558 cars for running red lights between 2019 and 2022.