Motorists save over half a billion dirhams in fines

dubai — More than half a billion dirhams of fines were waived off by the Dubai Police under its yearlong Traffic Fines Settlement initiative, a senior official revealed on Monday.

Colonel Juma Salim bin Suwaidan, deputy director of the Traffic Department at the Dubai Police, said during a Press Conference that 557,430 motorists were able to save Dh546,970,930 under the initiative. He also confirmed that the initiative has been renewed for a second year, beginning from February 6, 2020.

According to Col Juma Salim bin Suwaidan, most of the beneficiaries were women, as 444,661 female motorists managed to stay away from violations to get discounts, while 114,769 men benefitted from the scheme.

“The “Traffic Fines Settlement” initiative, which was launched in February 2019 by the Dubai Police in line with the Year of Tolerance, contributed to reducing costs related to traffic accidents by Dh610.427 million. It also contributed to reducing fatal traffic accidents by 16 per cent and saw a 38 per cent drop in the rate of severe injuries on roads,” Bin Suwaidan noted.

He added that the results of the initiative reflect the commitment of motorists to abide by traffic laws and road safety.

He pointed out that the initiative was the first of its kind in the world and had several social, traffic, security and humanitarian goals, including maintaining road security and safety.

On February 7, 2019, the Dubai Police launched the initiative, according to which motorists who did not commit any violations for three months could get a 25 per cent discount on their accrued fines. No violations for six months would entitle them to a 50 per cent discount. Driving safely for nine months meant a 75 per cent discount and 100 per cent discount was offered for not committing any violations in a year.

The initiative helped many motorists to receive huge discounts, as an Emirati woman received a 100 per cent discount on her traffic fines totalling to Dh150,000.