Over-speeding is one of the most dangerous traffic violations in the UAE. Traffic violations like over-speeding, lane swerving, tailgating, and distracted driving have continued to deteriorate the road safety situation in the UAE in the last two years. The general reckless driving behavior of motorists in the UAE has even discouraged new drivers from driving as they fear dangerous drivers who disregard the safety of other motorists. Considering speeding violations as an ultimate threat to the road safety of motorists in the UAE, the traffic authorities have harshened traffic penalties against this dangerous violation in the recently amended traffic law. With tougher penalties for speeding violations, it is expected that motorists will gradually become more watchful of their driving behavior, but the road safety situation will only improve if the drivers understand the dangers of over-speeding and value everyone’s safety on the road.
Also read: Major Reason Behind Road Deaths in the UAE Revealed
Understanding the Risks of Over-Speeding
Speeding kills and it has caused many fatal road accidents in the UAE in the last two years. A driver can lose control of the vehicle because of over-speeding and can commit many other dangerous and life threating driving mistakes. From lane swerving to tailgating and from panicked driving to jumping the red signal, all of these dangerous traffic violations have a deep-rooted connection with over-speeding.
The speed limits across the UAE have been designed on the basis of traffic-load and the average speed needed to be maintained by drivers on different roads. Anyone who doesn’t obey the speed limit not only puts his/her own life at stake, but also the lives of other commuters as the flow of traffic gets disrupted and the danger of collision between multiple vehicles and collisions involving pedestrians increases. This is what makes over-speeding the root-cause of almost all major traffic violations in the UAE.
Changes introduced in the New Traffic Law to Curb the Menace of Over-Speeding
Traffic authorities wanted stricter penalties for speeding offenders that have played a part in continued worsening of the road safety situation in the UAE over last few years. This is the reason why some new speeding rules were introduced in the recently amended traffic law and a significant increase in the penalties for speeding violations was announced.
One important change in the speeding rules was made in the classification of speed-related penalties, which will now be based on the amount of over-speeding committed against the speed limit of a particular road. Earlier the speeding offenders were penalized with a standard traffic penalty regardless of the amount of over-speeding they had committed.
Listed below is the table that highlights the change in speeding fines and other penalties announced in the recently amended traffic law:
As mentioned in the table, the speeding violations can now even lead to the cancellation of a driver’s license. Motorists can face a heavy fine of AED 3,000, 23 black points and confiscation of the vehicle for 60 days if they are found guilty of speeding more than 80 Km/h from the speed limit. These are serious traffic penalties that motorists can easily avoid by adopting safe driving habits.
Also read: Traffic Violations that Can Lead to Cancellation of a Driving License in the UAE
Safe Driving Habits to Avoid Over-Speeding
Motorists can avoid speeding induced by panicked driving if they adopt some important safe driving habits. Bringing a much-needed change to the mindset is extremely important in order to value one’s own safety and the safety of other commuters.
Listed below are some of the safe driving habits that motorists can adopt to avoid over-speeding:
Always Give Yourself Some Extra Minutes
You should always give yourself a 10-15 minutes cushion to reach your destination so that even if you are stuck in a traffic jam or any other unwanted traffic situation, you can still reach your destination in time. This will save you from panicked driving, which can ultimately result in over-speeding.
Plan the Route beforehand
Planning the route beforehand to avoid areas with traffic jams is easier than ever before with latest GPS technologies. It is important for motorists to plan their route before taking the driving seat. It involves taking GPS help to find locations you are visiting for the first time and using Google Maps to be informed about areas with traffic congestions. This can help you in reaching your destination in time and avoid over-speeding. It also prevents you from committing other serious driving mistakes such as tailgating, sudden swerving or driving on the hard shoulder out of frustration caused by a traffic jam.
Also read: A Motorist’s Guide to Use “Google Maps” like a Pro
Be Considerate of Others on the Road
It is important to know that anyone on the road can face an emergency situation at any time and while you are cruising at a high speed, you should always be considerate of those in emergency and give way to emergency vehicles. This can help you avoid any dangerous incident and will also save you from the frustration of being stuck in a traffic jam situation. Being considerate while driving also means to value the safety of pedestrians crossing the road and reducing the speed of the vehicle significantly, especially at intersections or when driving in school zones and residential areas.
Remain Watchful of the Speed Monitoring Cameras and Radars
In the UAE, where the ratio of expatriates is quite high, the awareness of traffic rules and the advanced traffic monitoring system is of significant importance. There are speed monitoring cameras and radars fitted on all major roads across the UAE that keep an eye on every move made by motorists and can even detect the smallest of speeding violations. You need to remain watchful of these speed monitoring devices as they provide real-time information to the traffic authorities in the control room who can then take immediate actions against the offenders.
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Car Safety Features that Help in Avoiding Speeding Violations
While reckless driving can only be rectified with a change of mindset, the speeding violations that are committed out of distracted driving or because of drowsiness while driving can be easily avoided with the help of advanced car safety features present in the modern day cars.
These advanced cars safety features are listed below:
- Intelligent Speed Assist
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Drowsiness Alert
- Forward Collision Control
These safety features are essential and are offered in most of the new cars as standard. Whenever you are looking to buy a new vehicle, it is important to prefer vehicles with advanced safety features offered as standard. These features analyze the current road situation and alert the driver to take immediate action upon detecting any sudden change in the driving behavior. This reduces the probability of unintentional driving mistakes to a bare minimum. With the help of these safety features, motorists can avoid hefty speeding-related traffic penalties as well as dangerous situations on the road caused by over-speeding.
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