Dubai Police has fined 37,519 motorists over seatbelt violations in the first seven months of 2017. Seatbelt violations were considerably high before the implementation of the newly amended traffic law. However, a noticeable decrease was observed after the implementation of new traffic law that introduced stricter penalties for seatbelt violations.
Motorists must realise that they can avoid severe injuries in the event of a road accident, and the probability of being thrown out of the vehicle decreases considerably if all the passengers in the vehicle are safely strapped in. The recently amended traffic law that was implemented in the UAE on July 1, 2017, has introduced a new seatbelt rule to ensure maximum safety for all passengers in a vehicle. It is now mandatory for everyone inside a vehicle to buckle-up, even for the rear-seat passengers who were previously exempt from this rule.
Also read: Traffic Violations Decrease in Dubai after Implementation of the Newly Amended Traffic Law
Month-wise Details of the Traffic Fines Issued For Seatbelt Violations
A total of 37,519 motorists failed to comply with the traffic rules on wearing seatbelts in the first seven months of 2017. A noticeable difference can be observed when we compare the traffic fines of January to the fines issued in June and July of the current year, which clearly highlights the impact of the new traffic law on the mindset of motorists.
Listed below are the details of traffic fines issued to motorists over seatbelt violations from January to July, 2017:
- 8,102 drivers fined in January
- 5,786 drivers fined in February
- 5,993 drivers fined in March
- 5,967 drivers fined in April
- 6,351 drivers fined in May
- 2,759 drivers fined in June
- 2,621 drivers fined in July
It is clear from the above-mentioned stats that seatbelt violations decreased noticeably in the months of June and July. This encouraging decrease in seatbelt violations was made possible by building awareness about the new seatbelt rule among motorists. Other factors that induced a significant decrease in seatbelt violations included increased scrutiny of seatbelt violations in Dubai in line with the new traffic law and enhanced monitoring through advanced radars.
Authorities Warn Motorists against Seatbelt Violations
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, Director of the Traffic Department of Dubai Police, said that wearing a seatbelt was very important as it could prevent motorists from severe injuries in the event of a dangerous road accident. He also warned mothers against keeping children in their laps while they sit in the front seat. He termed it as a highly unsafe practice.
He further added that while a noticeable decrease in the seatbelt violations had been observed after the implementation of the new traffic law, the traffic authorities could still spot mothers with their children sitting in the front seat, which was totally against the new law. According to the new law, a child safety seat with top tethering anchors must be installed (if not already available) in the rear seat of a car and children under the age of 4 should only sit in the child safety seats. He cautioned the mothers, saying that a child, who was not strapped in properly in a child safety seat and is seated in an adult’s lap, could be thrown out of the windscreen in the event of a dangerous accident.
Hitting the windscreen and being thrown out of the vehicle can be deadly because such an impact causes the same amount of trauma on the human body that a fall from the third storey of a building would cause.
Also read: The UAE Cabinet Approves Policy on Car Safety Seats for Children
Why Motorists don’t Use Seatbelts?
In a recent survey conducted by RoadSafetyUAE and QIC Insured, motorists revealed some surprising reasons for not wearing a seatbelt and not installing a child safety seat for their children. Most motorists believed child safety seats didn’t really mean much to the safety of their children and instead, keeping the child in a passenger’s lap was a safer option.
On the other hand, the survey revealed a high percentage of drivers who buckled-up while driving but didn’t ask the passengers in their car to do the same. A large percentage of passengers in the back seat felt comfortable without wearing the seatbelts.
Motorists must know that there are serious penalties for not wearing a seatbelt in Dubai according to the new traffic law. A fine of AED 400 and four black points against the driver’s license are the penalties for not complying with the seatbelt rule. Drivers should also remember that according to the new law, the driver of the vehicle will have to pay AED 400 for every passenger who fails to buckle-up.
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