when modified cars turn into a menace for residents
sharjah — Modified vehicles with souped-up engines, and driven by reckless drivers, are scaring residents in Sharjah who want police to take action. Stunts by drivers and the noise and pollution emitted by these vehicles are raising concerns in several neighbourhoods in the emirate. Sharjah Police have promised a crackdown and have already seized 81 vehicles which breach modification standards set by the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA).
His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has asked Sharjah Police not to spare those motorists who have illegally tampered with their vehicles and drive them dangerously.
Major General Saif Al Zeri Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, said the police will intensify inspections to check for modified engines, silencers and horns.
“If they have been changed without permission, and if drivers are threatening the lives of other road users, or hindering traffic movement, the cars will be confiscated and owners will have to pay,” he said.
He said inspection campaigns have curbed such illegal practices and ensured safety on internal roads and highways. Police have also deployed additional patrols to catch the culprits, Maj-Gen Al Shamsi said. “Sharjah Police’s main priorities are protecting lives and preventing negative behaviour that affect the safety of residents in the emirate.”
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Abdullah Allai, Director of Traffic police and Patrols, said the crackdown netted 81 vehicles. He said 419 other cars have been seized for dangerous stunts. “We have controlled the problem but we still receive complaints from residents about dangerous driving in these altered high-speed vehicles,” he said.
It is mostly youth who want more power for their vehicles, he said. “They fit accessories to increase engine speed and turn up the volume of the horns,” he said.
Police are continuing awareness programmes to educate young people on the dangers of changing vehicle parts from unauthorised dealers.
Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD), meanwhile, is inspecting auto workshops to ensure they abide by Esma’s vehicle modification procedures. Unlicensed service centres are being shut down, an official said but he gave no numbers. “Workshops will be closed if they do not heed warnings and are found to be modifying exhaust systems or adding devices to boost the vehicle’s speed.”
Mohammed Al Kaabi, Head of the Inspection Department at Sharjah Municipality, said that the municipality informs the SEDD if residents raise concerns and complaints about pollution and noise by these vehicles.
Khaleej Times visited two workshops in industrial areas, and owners said there is an increasing demand for vehicle changes by speed addicts. “We are governed by rules set by Esma. We only provide ‘vehicle decorations’ and tinting permitted by law,” owners said.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com