Dubai's traffic fine discount scheme may go UAE-wide

Police official says the success of the initiative could mean it is implemented across the Emirates

Fines will be reduced until the end of January next year. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A Dubai police initiative that offers motorists discounts of up to 50 per cent on their accumulated traffic fines may be expanded across the UAE, an official said on Thursday.

Maj Gen Mohammed Al Zafeen, director of UAE's Federal Traffic Council and Assistant Commander-in-chief for Operations, said the roll out of the discount scheme would be recommended on a federal level to the FTC.
"If convinced, the council will recommend it to the Ministry of Interior for its approval on an implementation across all of the UAE," he said.

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The scheme, introduced on February 6, allows drivers who have not committed traffic offences for three months to get a 25 per cent discount on previous fines. Motorists who went six months without a fine are eligible for a 50 per cent discount while a nine-month streak earned drivers a 75 per cent discount. Motorists who went a year without committing a traffic offence would have their previous fines wiped entirely.

On Thursday, Dubai Police said more than 425,000 motorists received a 50 per cent discount on their traffic fines.

Maj Gen Al Zafeen said the "Exemplary Driver" initiative appears to have contributed to a 15 per cent decrease in road deaths since its launch compared to the same period last year.

He said it helped bring down the number of deaths from 27 between February and August last year to 23 during the same period this year. The figure could have been reduced by 77 per cent if not for the bus crash in May that killed 17 people.

The discount scheme only covers traffic offences committed in Dubai. Fines on offences committed in other emirates must still be paid in full.