Overweight lorries impounded

ABU DHABI // Police temporarily impounded 42 lorries that exceeded the legal weight limit over the past six months on the motorways surrounding the capital. Traffic officials took custody of each vehicle for one week and fined drivers Dh200 (US$54), said Lt Col Mohamed Ahmed al Mazroui, the head of the External Roads Section at the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Department.

Overloaded lorries increased the risk of accidents at high speeds, he said. "It's important to be strict in implementing this one-week sanction on drivers who violate the rules on weight because this can be dangerous and can lead to vehicles overturning, especially on curves when drivers are less able to control their vehicles," said Lt Col Mazroui, who added that foreign drivers, in particular, should take more care to obey speed limits.

Violators were also given three traffic points, formerly called "black points", on their licences. Under the points system, which was implemented on March 1, drivers who accumulate 24 traffic points for breaking various driving laws face losing their licence for three months. Last month, traffic officials said the new rules had led to a 56 per cent decrease in moving violations. The number of traffic tickets issued between March and June fell to 159,770 - less than half the 363,067 issued in the same period last year.

The traffic points system of punishment follows a looser enforcement regime that rarely resulted in substantial monetary penalties or vehicles being confiscated. @Email:[e-mail]