Motorcyclists handed 2,600 fines in capital

The number of fines amounted to a quarter of the total number of registered bikes in Abu Dhabi.

ABU DHABI // More than 2,600 fines were handed out to motorbike drivers in the capital last year for violations ranging from speeding to driving on the wrong side of the road.

The number of offences amounted to 25 per cent of the total number of registered bikes in Abu Dhabi, according to Col Ghaith al Zaabi, the general director for traffic co-ordination at the Ministry of Interior.

"There is a need for a continuation of traffic awareness campaigns against risks of unsafe riding of motorbikes," he was quoted by the state news agency WAM as saying.

Of the 2,681 violations, 1,186 were for speeding, followed by 146 for not wearing a helmet and 114 for the wrong use of lanes. Others included driving on the wrong side of the road, driving a "noisy motorbike", and driving through red light signals.

Col al Zaabi said the volume of fines demonstrated the tougher approach police were taking the those who violate the traffic laws.