Dubai motorists who break traffic rules on the emirate’s roads face fines of up to Dh100,000 ($27,228) after the introduction of new regulations.
The traffic rules have been set up to reduce the amount of dangerous driving in the emirate.
Fines of up to Dh50,000 ($13,600) and deportation for expat motorists are among the new penalties. The amended traffic laws came into effect from Thursday.
The decree concerns the impounding of vehicles in Dubai following serious violations on the emirate’s roads. If a vehicle is impounded for the following reasons, a penalty of Dh50,000 ($13,600) will need to be paid to secure its release.
The reasons include riding recreational motorcycles on paved roads, driving a vehicle recklessly or in a way that is a threat to people and property, jumping a red light, driving with a fake or unlawful license plate, intentionally colliding with a police vehicle, driving under the age of 18, vehicles which are impounded following a road race, without permission from authorities, will be subject to a penalty of AED100,000 ($27,200) to be released.
A lesser fine of Dh10,000 ($2,720) must be paid to release an impounded vehicle, which has undergone extensive modification to increase speed or noise, evaded police, been driven without licence plates, exceeded the permitted percentage of window tint, under the traffic laws Dubai Police will be able to seize a vehicle if it has clocked up more than Dh6,000 ($1,630) in traffic fines.
Motorists will see the impoundment time and fees for release doubled if they are caught reoffending within one year. Motorists in Dubai caught driving faster than 60kph paid a total of Dh53.9 million in traffic fines last year.
The new traffic rules, as laid out in Decree No. 30 of 2023, introduce stricter penalties related to traffic violations and the impoundment of vehicles.
When a car can be impounded
Articles 2 and 3 of the new decree provide instances when a car can be seized by the police, while Articles 4 and 5 provide the penalties that will be imposed if a motorist commits any of the listed violations.
As per the Articles, these are the offences that can lead to the seizure of a vehicle by the police and the amount you need to pay for the release of the vehicle:
1. Participation in road races without prior permission from the police.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh100,000
2. Riding recreational motorcycles on paved roads.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh50,000
3. Making substantial changes to the vehicle in a way that results in an increase in its speed, or making noise or noise while operating or driving.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh10,000
4. If the amount of traffic fines imposed on the vehicle exceed Dh6,000.
As per Article 4 (b) of the decree, the impounded vehicle shall be released according to the case, after its owner has paid the traffic fines imposed on him/her.
5. Driving a vehicle recklessly or in a manner that poses a threat to life, property, or traffic safety in the emirate.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh50,000
6. Running away from a police officer.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh10,000
7. Jumping a red light.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh50,000
8. Driving the vehicle on the road without a number plate.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh10,000
9. Vehicles, whose drivers gather to watch races or get involved in chaos and road races for showing off.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh10,000
10. Excessive tinting of the vehicle’s glass beyond the permissible limit, or the tinting of the vehicle’s windshield without a permit.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh10,000
11. Driving a vehicle with a fake, forged or obscured number plate, or using it in a manner inconsistent with the legislation in force in the emirate.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh50,000
12. Intentionally hitting a police vehicle or willfully causing damage to it.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh50,000
13. Driving a vehicle by a person under the age of 18 eighteen years.
Amount to be paid for release of vehicle: Dh50,000
Other instances
1. Apart from the violations listed above, Article 3 of the decree also states that the vehicle may be administratively seized by the police in cases approved by it in this regard and the maximum impounding period in each case is determined upon a decision issued by the Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, in coordination with the relevant authorities, provided that the decision is published in the Dubai Government’s official gazette. The impounded vehicle can be released after paying all fines due on the vehicle according to the traffic file, rectification of the violation or removal of its causes and any other conditions determined by Dubai Police.
If a vehicle impounded under the provisions of Article 3 is impounded again within a year of the previous violation, the period of impoundment shall be doubled, provided it does not exceed 90 days.
2. The decree also states that the vehicle can be impounded in accordance with the provisions of the UAE Traffic Law, in cases not stipulated in this decree.
For example, Ministerial Resolution No. (178) of 2017, also mentions the penalty of a vehicle being impounded for violations like going over the speed limit by more than 60km/h or driving with expired tyres. According to the new decree, if the vehicle is impounded under any of the provisions mentioned in Ministerial Resolution No. (178) of 2017 and not stipulated in the new decree, the car owner can get the vehicle released after paying an amount of Dh100 for a light vehicle for each day of the prescribed seizure period or the remaining period thereof. In case of a heavy vehicle, the amount per day is Dh200.
Not collecting your vehicle after the impound period is over
Additionally, the decree states that if the person whose vehicle has been impounded does not collect it at the end of the impoundment period, he or she will be obligated to pay an amount of Dh50 for every day after the end of the impound period.
Additional measures
The decree also states that if a non-citizen driver of a heavy vehicle crosses a red light, he will be administratively deported from the UAE.
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