Cops to engage with public on seatbelt rule
dubai — The Dubai Police will not let motorists’ ignorance of law be a factor in penalising them under the newly-amended federal traffic law. However, initially, the police will exercise leniency in slapping fines on the newly-introduced offence of rear-seat passengers not buckling up.
However, according to MajorGeneral Mohamed Saif Al Zafeen, head of the Federal Traffic Council and assistant commander-in-chief of the Dubai Police, initially, the police will stop errant drivers and advise them on the importance of fastening seatbelts. But the police will soon start fining people, he added.
dubai — The Dubai Police will exercise leniency when penalising motorists if rear-seat passengers fail to buckle up, considering the recency of the new traffic law, a top official has said.
According to the amendments made to the Federal Traffic Law — which came into effect on July 1 — the fine for passengers not wearing seatbelts is Dh400 per passenger. Additionally, four black points will be slapped on the driver’s licence.
Over four days, the Dubai Police have fined around 250 motorists for failing to buckle up.
Major-General Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, head of the Federal Traffic Council and Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police, however, said the force will progressively get stringent about seatbelt violations, as using seatbelts is crucial in reducing the death toll and injuries in accidents, especially among children.
He added: “70 per cent of people currently do not wear seatbelts while sitting in the front, but after the introduction of the new law, we expect that 100 per cent of motorists, whether drivers or passengers, will fasten their seatbelts.
“Everyone travelling in a vehicle must wear seatbelts, irrespective of whether they are seated in the front or the rear. Child seats are mandatory for children aged 4 and under. The front seat passenger must have a minimum height of 145cm and must not be under age 10,” added Maj Gen Al Zafeen. Al Zafeen pointed out that in places like Europe, people are aware of the importance of using seatbelts and “the drivers always ask everyone in their vehicle to buckle up.”
“I visited Sweden recently and wore my seatbelt, but my companion in the back seat did not belt up, so the driver asked him to either fasten the belt or to leave the car.”
He said the new seatbelt rule is the result of studying and reviewing experiments conducted in European countries that have successfully achieved very low road death rates.
Sweden, for instance, has only 2 deaths per 100,000 people.
In Dubai, the main goal of the amended law is reducing mortality down to 3 deaths per 100,000, from the current 6.1 deaths, Al Zafeen said, noting that last year, the UAE witnessed a tragic 725 road accident fatalities.
Henceforth, all drivers in the UAE are required to get their passengers to buckle up, whether seated in the front or back.
He said, initially, the police will stop erring drivers and advise them on the importance of fastening seatbelts to ensure safety. But the force will soon start fining people, as everyone is expected to abide by the seatbelt rule as fast as possible. “Everyone needs to abide by this and so we have taken a good step in the right direction,” said the official.