Speeding is one of the major traffic violations in Dubai. Traffic authorities continue to educate motorists about complying with the speed limit of roads through awareness campaigns and with the launch of unique initiatives such as painting the roads in red colour to highlight a change in the speed limits. While such positive initiatives are a part of Dubai Police’s strategy to discourage motorists from committing speeding violations, there are also some harsh penalties that motorists can face if they violate the traffic rules repeatedly and don’t pay heavy fines in time. Such a reckless behavior of motorists can lead to confiscation of their vehicles and can make them face criminal investigation if they try to escape the heavy fines by leaving the country.
Official Statement on Confiscation of Vehicles
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, Director General Department of the Traffic at Dubai Police, mentioned that motorists could face serious repercussions if their fines increased up to AED 6,000, as in that case, vehicles are listed as wanted and motorists are warned to pay the fines before their vehicles are confiscated.
He warned the motorists against any attempt of leaving the country to avoid heavy fines and said that the traffic and security patrols were well-equipped to nab down such car owners and initiate a criminal investigation against them.
Recently a gold car in Dubai was seized by Dubai Police that had fines of AED 100,000 accumulated against it. The car was seized when the owner of the vehicle tried to leave the country from Oman’s route. There were rumours on social media about the seizure of the vehicle and Dubai Police was assumed to have seized the vehicle for its gold parts or because it had a pure gold paint on its body.
Brigadier Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei rejected all such allegations and confirmed that the vehicle was seized as it had heavy unpaid fines accumulated against it and the criminal investigation department was probing into this matter. He also made it clear that the authorities were only concerned about seizing vehicles that had pending fines in excess of AED 6,000 against them.
Also read: Traffic Violations Decrease in Dubai after Implementation of the Newly Amended Traffic Law
How Can Speeding Violations Lead to Confiscation of a Vehicle?
A vehicle can be added to the “wanted list” by Dubai Police if the fines against it exceed AED 6,000. The vehicle can later be confiscated if fines are not paid in time and the owner of the vehicle can also face legal actions. Speeding violations are the most common type of violations on Dubai roads and this is the reason why fines for speeding violations have been increased significantly in the recently amended traffic law.
The new fines for violating the speed limit of a certain road are being categorized on the basis of the extent of over-speeding committed. Motorists can be fined up to AED 3,000 if they are found guilty of speeding 80km/h above the speed limit of a road. Two such violations and the vehicle will be added to the “wanted list” by Dubai Police.
Speeding Violations Are Dangerous!
Over-speeding can be the root cause of many other dangerous violations including tailgating and lane swerving as all these violations are very closely linked to each other. It means you can possibly be charged with traffic fines for multiple violations at the same time if you are over-speeding and that can accumulate heavy fines against your name. There are advanced traffic monitoring radars set on all the important roads in Dubai, which keep a close eye on every move of the motorists so escaping a traffic violation is virtually impossible. Over-speeding is also dangerous because it increases the risk of a fatal run-over accident as drivers don’t allow themselves enough time to apply brakes effectively.
Also read: Tailgating Causes 73 Accidents and 8 Road Deaths in 1st Quarter of 2017
How to Avoid Over-Speeding?
Being attentive on the road and obeying speed limits is the best way to avoid over-speeding, but at times, long hours of driving or monotonous nature of a journey can disrupt the attention of motorists and this is the time when they commit most of the speeding violations.
In order to avoid unintentional over-speeding and to limit the risk of a fatal crash, following driver-assist features in modern day cars can be extremely helpful:
- Forward Collision Control System
- Intelligent Speed Assist
- Driver Attention Assist
- Night Vision
- Emergency Brake Assist
- Automatic Emergency Brake Assist
Confiscation of cars and facing a legal investigation becomes unavoidable when motorists commit serious traffic violations and don’t pay heavy fines in time. All such unwanted situations can, however, be easily avoided by complying with the traffic rules. People in Dubai should also look to consider cars that offer advanced safety and driver-assist features as standard whenever they look to buy a new car. Making a conscious effort by being proactive and careful in one’s approach can easily help you avoid serious traffic fines in Dubai and also ensures a safer commute.
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