The National staff
A driver has been accused of tampering with his car's number plate to cheat speed cameras, racking up Dh459,000 in fines after committing 580 traffic offences.
He was arrested in Al Gharbia and has been referred to prosecutors, Abu Dhabi authorities said on Saturday.
The vehicle, a white Toyota Land Cruiser, has been impounded. The authorities did not reveal the age or nationality of the driver.
Col Hamad Nasser Al Baloushi, head of traffic in peripheral areas at Abu Dhabi Police, said officers examining radar pictures noticed that the car’s plate did not match the vehicle to which it belonged.
He warned drivers against tampering with, concealing, or chaging plate numbers.
Doing so is a crime punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to Dh20,000, or both, Col Al Baloushi warned.
Police patrols are working with the Air Wing to crack down on such offences, and gatherings of young drivers on public roads, drag races and all forms of stunt driving will not be tolerated.
The efforts are part of a strategy by Abu Dhabi traffic authorities to make the emirate's roads safer and reduce the number of accidents and the resulting numbers of casualties.
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