ABU DHABI, 10th September: Abu Dhabi Police, ADP, has started implementing Law No. 5 for 2020 on impoundment of vehicles in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

ADP affirmed that law aims to ensure that traffic safety across Abu Dhabi follows the highest road and traffic safety standards, and to reinforce the importance of adhering to traffic regulations.

According to new law, reckless drivers will have to pay fines up to AED50,000 to get their cars released for serious traffic offences in Abu Dhabi.

A car can be impounded when a driver jumps a red light, is dangerous or reckless on the road, is involved in unauthorised road racing, and deliberately collides into a police car.

During a press conference held today, Brigadier Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director of the Central Operations of the ADP, said that the law does not contradict with any related federal traffic laws and was drafted after extensive research on accidents and traffic violations committed by drivers over many years, to improve traffic safety and increasing penalties.

The Traffic and Patrols Directorate is constantly revising and updating the list of enforceable legislations, in line with the current traffic situation, he added, noting that it conducted a study on traffic violations that led to accidents, to deter drivers by increasing penalties.

He further added that most accidents occur due to repeated violations, numbering 894 accidents leading to 66 deaths in 2019, including 64 serious accidents, 716 moderate accidents and 543 minor accidents.

Al Khaili pointed out that deaths caused by traffic accidents accounted for 35.5 percent of total deaths in 2019, as well as for 49.6 percent serious injuries in the same year, stressing that the new law will increase fines to discourage reckless driving, which will reduce the number of deaths in Abu Dhabi.

He also highlighted the ADP’s keenness to publish videos on social media highlighting the negative effects of traffic violations to the public.

He then explained the violations that may lead to vehicle seizures and the resultant retrieval fee, noting that drivers could pay a fine of up to AED50,000 after deliberately crashing into and damaging a police patrol vehicle and must cover the costs of any damage, as well as for racing on the roads without permission from the relevant authorities, or if driving with obscured, concealed or distorted licence plates.

Drivers could also pay a fine of up to AED50,000 if driving a vehicle in a manner that might endanger themselves or the lives and safety of others or for driving through a red light, potentially resulting in the suspension of their driving licence for up to six months, he further said.

He also explained that drivers could have their vehicles seized or received a fine of up to AED10,000 if they modify their vehicle’s engine or chassis without permission, or up to AED5,000 if they cause an accident as a result of speeding, suddenly changing lanes, failing to leave a safe distance, not giving pedestrians priority, allowing a child under the age of 10 to sit on the front seat, or exceeding the speed limit.

News Credit: WAM