ABU DHABI // Drivers who owe unpaid fines for speeding and other traffic offences are being treated with "sympathy" by the traffic and patrols department and will be given a 50 per cent discount on outstanding debts. The new legislation, law number 400 for 2010, was announced yesterday by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Interior, and will be in place for an indefinite period.
Col Hussein al Harthi, director of traffic and patrols, said the new decision to halve fines, which applies to all traffic departments in the emirate, had been made in "sympathy" for drivers. He said the scheme aimed to encourage them to comply with traffic rules and regulations. "This step was taken to let people think about the consequences of breaking the rules that are placed there for their own safety," he said.
Police said they started discounting fines four days ago but had waited until the payment system was fully upgraded before announcing the change. Col al Harthi said more staff had been assigned to fine-payment desks to handle an expected surge in customers. The police did not say how many motorists had outstanding fines. The surprise announcement came on the first anniversary of the death of three Emirati youngsters who were killed on Airport Road, when they were hit by a speeding car.
A fourth person, Nurshaida Parjan, 24, died from her injuries in a hospital in her native Indonesia in April. The 20-year-old driver who killed them was jailed for six months and fined Dh5,000. The tragedy inspired The National to launch a campaign, named the Road to Safety, designed to raise awareness of the scale of dangerous driving in the UAE. The Government has introduced programmes and educational initiatives designed to make the roads safer, which appear to have achieved success, with Ministry of Interior figures showing 963 motorists died in traffic accidents in the UAE last year, compared with 1,072 in 2008.
Mohamed al Hashimi, 27, an aviation security inspector, said he hoped it would be accompanied by an awareness campaign on the dangers of breaking traffic laws. While some reports suggested that there were a number of motorists who owed Dh30,000 in fines, Mr Hashimi, an Emirati, has only Dh400 in fines and said it annoyed him to see some drivers owing thousands of dirhams. "It only shows that they are careless to the safety of themselves and others," he said. "They don't show remorse for their mistakes but prefer to try to find creative ways to avoid paying."
Haitham al Blooshi, 27, a medical lab technician who owed about Dh4,670 in fines, said that "many people in Abu Dhabi can afford to pay the huge fines, but those with fixed incomes have had a huge burden lifted off them with this generous initiative". Higher fines were introduced in March 2008 across the country along with a black points system that can cost motorists their licence if they collect 24 points for reckless driving.
The largest fine, for either driving dangerously or reckless driving, is Dh2,000. A motorist charged with that offence also receives 12 black points and their is vehicle confiscated for 30 days. The smallest fine, for offences such as not carrying a driving licence while driving or using a horn in a disturbing way, is Dh100. The Education Council in Abu Dhabi introduced road safety classes in summer schools, while police have begun using unmarked cars to catch dangerous drivers.
TransAD, the taxi regulator, has also installed speed-limiting devices in cabs to help tackle the issue of speeding. The Department of Transport has conducted a safety audit of the emirate's roads and the Urban Planning Council unveiled a new street design manual, which focusses on pedestrian safety. Abu Dhabi Municipality is also studying how to make school zones safer. Several hospitals are handing out free child safety seats, which the Government plans to make mandatory by 2011, along with rear-seat safety belts.
@Email:mchung@thenational.ae
