Tougher penalties for RAK signal jumpers

The chief prosecutor of the Ras Al Khaimah traffic courts calls for a zero-tolerance towards drivers who jump red lights.

RAS AL KHAIMAH // The chief prosecutor of the Ras Al Khaimah traffic courts has called for a zero-tolerance policy towards drivers who jump red lights. Abdul Nasser Mohammed said the only way to curb mounting traffic violations was to pass a new law mandating that drivers found guilty of ignoring red lights automatically receive a year in prison and lose their licence.
He said he had witnessed drivers, especially lorry drivers, flouting traffic rules and once saw a lorry collide with an SUV, killing the woman behind the wheel. "Crossing the red light is an internationally renowned traffic violation, but many motorists just don't care," Mr Mohammed said. Currently, motorists who jump red lights are fined Dh500 (US$136), jailed for a month and given eight black points on their licence. Drivers who accumulate 24 points in a year automatically lose their licence.
Mr Mohammed said most of the defendants brought before the Ras al Khaimah traffic courts for jumping red lights had committed the offence at night. "Many motorists think that at night it's fine to jump a red light as there are few vehicles on the road. They still haven't learned that even at night they have caused several deaths," he said. RAK traffic courts handled 543 cases of red light violations in 2007, Mr Mohammed added.
He said the emirate had more than 60 surveillance cameras to identify violators, but urged authorities to increase the number, saying many motorists were quick to spot areas they could commit traffic violations without being tracked.
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