Jumping the red signal is one of the most serious and dangerous traffic violations in Dubai. In the first seven months of 2017, motorists jumping the red signal caused 56 accidents in which 83 people were injured. Fortunately, these accidents didn’t result in any loss of life, but repeated red signal violations clearly jeopardizes the road safety in Dubai.
There are strict penalties for jumping the red signal in Dubai as these violations put the safety of other commuters at risk. These violations have a potential to cause substantial damage as the intensity of impact increases significantly when a speeding vehicle jumps the red signal and collides with other vehicles.
Impact of the Newly Amended Traffic Law on Road Safety Situation in Dubai
Dubai’s road safety situation worsened in 2016 at the hands of red signal violations. Dubai Police recorded 29,328 red signal violations that caused 119 accidents in 2016. Three people were killed and 146 suffered injuries in these accidents. The red signal violations have not proved to be fatal so far in 2017, which highlights a slight improvement in Dubai’s road safety situation. This improvement has been fundamentally influenced by the implementation and the awareness campaigns about the implementation of the newly amended traffic law that came into effect on July 1, 2017. The new traffic law has imposed heavier penalties for serious traffic violations and played an important role in discouraging motorists from committing dangerous violations.
Also read: Traffic Violations Decrease in Dubai after Implementation of the Newly Amended Traffic Law
Why Motorists Commit the Red Signal Violation?
According to Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, Director General of Traffic Department of Dubai Police, most motorists who committed the red signal violation were found speeding because they tried to cross signal before it turned from yellow to red. This multiplied the risk of a fatal accident because motorists increased the speed of their vehicle on approaching the signal in order to cross the signal quickly.
At times, motorists just follow the vehicle ahead instead of following the traffic signal and jump the red signal. The lack of respect towards traffic rules and distracted driving are the fundamental reasons behind red signal violations in Dubai.
Also read: Dubai Police Warns Motorists against Speeding Violations and Unpaid Heavy Fines
What are the Penalties for Jumping the Red Signal?
Motorists must know that there are strict penalties for jumping the red signal in Dubai. The advanced traffic monitoring radars in Dubai track all vehicles involved in red signal violations, which makes it virtually impossible to escape traffic fines and other penalties.
The fine for jumping red signal was increased from AED 800 to AED 1,000 in the newly amended law. Along with this fine, there are other penalties including 12 black points against the driver’s license and confiscation of the vehicle for 30 days.
The Way Forward!
Motorists need to change their mindset and not only respect traffic rules but also drive attentively to avoid jumping red signal. Not jumping the red signal doesn’t only highlight a motorist’s respect towards traffic rules but also the respect which the motorist have for the road safety of other commuters.
The dynamic traffic culture of Dubai, where a majority of motorists belong to different nationalities, is prone to traffic problems. This is because expats usually take extra time to get adjusted to the new traffic rules that are considerably different to what they observe in their native country. A high resident to car ratio in Dubai is also a factor that adds to the worries of traffic control and management authorities. Motorist can consider increasing the use of public transport, which will not only solve major traffic problems of Dubai but will also prevent motorists from committing serious traffic violations and limit their fuel expenses at the same time.
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