Dubai Police fine 2,700 for speeding

DUBAI // About 2,700 motorists were fined last month for speeding, while more than 1,200 were caught attempting to jump a red light, police said yesterday. The total number of speeding violations is down slightly from April, when about 3,000 car and lorry drivers were caught speeding. Of last month's offenders, 388 were lorry drivers. Brig Mohammed Saif al Zaffin, the director general of the department of traffic at Dubai Police, said: "Stiff fines and more cameras have reduced the number of people who would speed or jump red lights, and it's dropping on a monthly basis."

He added that the installation of new radar cameras mean there is a camera or radar for every 1km to 1.5km of road. Police installed more than 160 cameras on top of patrol cars and doubled the number of radars on city roads to 1,000 by the end of last year. Hundreds of new fixed cameras have been installed on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road, from Jebel Ali to Airport Road. The fine for jumping a red light is Dh1,500 (US$410) for the first offence, and two days in prison for repeat offenders.

Speeding fines vary from Dh500 to Dh600. For reckless driving and endangering the public, the police can impound a vehicle for six months and penalise the driver with six black points. Those who commit the same offence twice could have their driving licence revoked and be ordered to pay a Dh3,000 fine. [e-mail]