Accident-Free Day: UAE police offer motorists chance to wipe black points from licence

Motorists can remove four points from their licence by steering clear of accidents on August 28

The first day of the school year is usually one of the busiest on the country's roads during peak hours. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Motorists in the UAE can have four black points removed from their licence if they avoid having an accident or committing a traffic offence on the first day of school next week.

The Federal Traffic Council on Monday said drivers will have four black points removed if they sign an online pledge and do not breach traffic laws on August 28.

The incentive is part of the nationwide Accident-Free Day campaign.

Drivers can register on the Ministry of Interior website.

Brig Hussain Al Harthy, chairman of the Federal Traffic Council, urged drivers to take care as school buses return to the roads.

“Our aim is to spread awareness and traffic safety to all road users," he said.

“People who participate in the initiative and follow the rules will be rewarded with removing four black points in the traffic system.”

The first day of the school year is usually one of the busiest of the year.

“The choice of August 28 was made to coincide with the start of the school year, creating a preventive occasion where all sectors of society, both public and private, work towards accident-free roads and without hazards,” Brig Al Harthy said.

Motorists were urged to follow basic traffic rules, including fastening their seat belts, staying within the speed limit and leaving a safe distance between vehicles.

In 2019, as part of the same campaign, motorists in Dubai who signed an online pledge to take better care on the roads were offered a 50 per cent discount on vehicle confiscation fees.

Between 2021 and 2022, the number of crashes nationwide increased by 13 per cent to 3,945, up from 3,488, Ministry of Interior figures show.

The ministry said 343 people were killed in 2022, down from 381 the previous year.

The number of people injured in road collisions almost doubled to 5,045 – a sharp increase on the 2,620 recorded the year before.

Black point traffic offences in the UAE - in pictures