ABU DHABI // Motorists in Abu Dhabi will no longer receive a 50 per cent discount on traffic fines.
Monday’s announcement was in response to the increase in traffic-related offences and road deaths in the emirate, according to Brig Hussain Al Harthi, director-general of central operations at Abu Dhabi Police.
In June 2010, police introduced a 50 per cent discount on unpaid traffic fines, although motorists who committed serious offences would still have their vehicles impounded and accumulate 24 black points.
The number of deaths on the emirate’s roads increased from 54 to 77 in the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2015, Brig Al Harthi said. The emirate has recorded 489 road accidents so far this year, compared with 477 in the same period last year. Injuries were also up, from 36 to 76.
Brig Al Harthi said the main causes of accidents were sudden swerving, failure to observe a safe distance between cars, excessive speed, poor lane discipline and red-light jumping.
Brig Al Harthi said a plan was under way to request the government to abolish the fine reduction system as part of preventive measures aimed to improve traffic safety levels.
Removing the discount would play an important factor in deterring most, but not all, motorists from committing road offences, said Dr Salaheddine Bendak, an associate professor at the University of Sharjah. “This is based on research findings from many countries, including Australia, Saudi Arabia, US, Denmark and others where introducing hefty fines have been proved to play as a deterrent to traffic law violations,” he said.
“Based on research findings, it is vital to accompany this removal of the 50 per cent discount with media campaigns to emphasise this issue and give road users road safety messages that would encourage safe driving behaviour.”Thomas Edelmann, founder of Road Safety UAE, said providing discounts contradicted efforts by traffic authorities to enhance safety. “Providing discounts on the enforcement element on penalties and fines contradicts the purpose of this highly important element,” he said.
Muneer Ahmed Shahabudeen, 51, a banker in Abu Dhabi who recently paid half of what he owed in traffic fines, said some drivers would be upset with the removal of the discount. “It would greatly affect low income earners while those with deep pockets won’t really mind paying Dh10,000 to Dh15,000 fines for speeding,” he said.
rruiz@thenational.ae
