Today's Front Page on 7 Days - 'You Drove Us To This!'
Police pull over 353 vehicles
99 driving licences seized
464 fines issued
16 vehicles impounded
First car impounded driven by British expat
Dubai’s top traffic cop said yesterday that punishing errant drivers on the spot was the most effective way to hold them “accountable”, as a fleet of unmarked police cars stopped almost one vehicle every minute for road violations during its first 48 hours on patrol.
Police also confiscated 16 vehicles and handed out more than dhs69,600 worth of fines. More than one hundred fines, almost one quarter, were issued for driving outside designated lanes.
Brigadier General Mohammad Al Zafeen, head of the traffic department admitted that police, so far, have not been successful in deterring reckless drivers.
“I believe that pulling drivers over is much more effective than simply paying fines by the end of the year. This way drivers know exactly what they did wrong and know they will be held accountable if they did it again,” he added.
The unmarked police car patrols are part of a campaign aimed at focusing police time and resources on road safety and enforcement of traffic rules after major administrative duties such as licencing were shifted to the Roads and Transportation Authority.
The covert cars patrol daily, across the city, between 7:30 and 10:30 am. Officers have also been ordered to pull over offenders that they spot whatever time they are on the road.
Among the first drivers to be pulled over - by Al Zafeen himself - was a young British expat driving without a valid vehicle registration.
“We confiscated the car because it has not been inspected in two years and is not safe to drive,” Al Zafeen said. A new law, which is believed to provide for tougher traffic fines that range between dhs800 and dhs3000, is expected soon, he revealed.
“The Interior Ministry is looking into current fines which are not perhaps enough deterrence for reckless drivers,” Al Zafeen said. “We are often accused of being no more than money collectors but if we tell you the road is monitored by radar and you still speed then you deserve to pay the fine.”
Tougher penalties also include taking away driving licences from truck drivers who run red lights or cause accidents due to negligence. “They won’t be allowed to drive for six months and will have to go through the testing process to regain their licences,” Al Zafeen said.