Dubai motorists caught jumping red lights face Dh50,000 fee to get their cars back

Reckless motorists who break traffic rules in Dubai face fines of up to Dh100,000 ($27,228) after new regulations were introduced.

The traffic rules, which came into effect on July 6, have been set up to reduce dangerous driving in the emirate.

Here is a list of what your car can be impounded for and what you can expect to pay for its release.

Participating in road races without permission from Dubai Police – Dh100,000
Jumping a red light – Dh50,000
Driving recklessly in a way that endangers the safety of others – Dh50,000
Driving a recreational motorbike or quad bike on paved road – Dh50,000
Driving a vehicle with a fake or tampered number plate – Dh50,000
Hitting a police car on purpose – Dh50,000
Vehicle being driven by someone under 18 – Dh50,000
Impounding a vehicle for modification – Dh10,000
Escaping police – Dh10,000
Driving without a number plate – Dh10,000
Gathering to watch a race or stunt performance on roads – Dh10,000
Having tinted glass beyond the permitted limit – Dh10,000
Modifying a car to increase speed and noise level – Dh10,000

The impoundment time and fees for release are doubled if the motorist is caught reoffending within one year.

Existing traffic fines will have to be paid on top of the new fees, which have been introduced solely to release cars that have been impounded for traffic offences.

“The traffic fines will remain the same as per the traffic law. The changes are for fees to unlock the seizure of cars committing serious offences,” said Brig Juma Salem bin Suwaidan, acting director of the General Traffic Department at Dubai Police, at a press conference on Friday.

He stressed that the revised policy will target reckless motorists who repeatedly break the laws, rather than motorists who make basic human errors.

“The revised law will not be for all motorists in the emirate. It is for a small group of motorists who break the law on purpose,” he said.

“For example, if a driver accidently jumped a red signal, they will be fined only Dh1,000, per the law, and his car will be impounded for 30 days.”

A Dubai Police traffic committee will assess the cases, to see which instances merit being hit with the new fees.

“Drivers who race and perform stunts on roads or commit offences on purpose, will need to pay the revised fees before getting their cars [back]. Their traffic file will be locked until the outstanding amount is paid up,” he said.

Maj Gen Abdullah Al Ghaithi, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Operations Affairs at Dubai Police, said the amendments came as part of a campaign to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Dubai roads in recent years.

There were 23 deaths, 348 traffic accidents and 211 injuries caused by jumping red lights between 2019 and 2022, according to figures released by Dubai Police.

There were more than 855 vehicles impounded during the same time for jumping red lights in the emirate.

Speeding, reckless driving and crossing a red signal offences killed 164 people and injured more than 3,260 people during the same period.

“The amendments are made to safeguard lives, protect property, and ensure traffic safety. The changes happened after we noticed an increase in deaths because of serious offences,” Maj Gen Al Gaithi said.

An average of 90 drivers a day were caught jumping red lights in Dubai last year, police data showed.

There were slightly fewer than 32,000 cases throughout last year.

Police said the offenders had received 12 black points on their licence in addition to a Dh1,000 fine.

The vehicles involved were confiscated for a month and owners were ordered to pay a Dh3,000 release fee at the time.

Motorists in Dubai caught driving faster than 60kph paid a total of Dh53.9 million in traffic fines last year.

Dubai Police reported 24,837 such speeding offences in 2022, of which 4,322 involved speeds faster than 80kph.

The worst offenders had to pay Dh3,000, with 23 points being added to their licences. Their vehicles were confiscated for 60 days.

There were 20,515 drivers caught exceeding the speed limit by 60kph last year. Each received a fine of Dh2,000, with 12 traffic points and faced a 30-day vehicle confiscation.

The bio

Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist

Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi

Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup

Hobbies: Reading and drawing

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Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
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War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

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Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer