36,000 fines issued to motorists in Sept

FINES ISSUED: More than 36,000 penalties were handed out to drivers in Dubai during September. (Getty Images)

Police in Dubai issued a total of 36,101 traffic fines for different offences during September, latest figures show.

The largest number, 8,179, were handed out to motorists who failed to keep within their lanes, said director of traffic at Dubai Police General Headquarters, Brig. Mohammed Saif Al Zafein.

"Our traffic personnel at Bur Dubai have been issuing about 1,203 fines daily," he added in a statement on the Dubai police website.

Another common offence was the obstruction of other motorists which saw 7,815 fined while parking in the wrong places registered 2,729 fines in an area.

More than 2,470 drivers were also penalised for parking on the pavement.

Traffic police chiefs said they will continue their campaigns to crack down on driving offences in a bid to make life safer for motorists on Dubai's roads.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Deal with the Root Cause not the Symptoms, Dubai doesnt need another bandaid solution
Posted by Sam, Dubai, UAE on Tuesday 14 October 2008 at 09:28 UAE time

Traffic is a concern in Dubai. Most people arrive at work stressed from their daily commute. In my opinion having lived in many urban locations the major problem with traffic is the larger vehicles roaming the streets during rushhour periods. I think government regulation should be in place to have all construction related activity start earlier and finish earlier to prevent congestion. I think to solve the problem the root cause is the key. If you battle road rage through enforcement you are dealing with a symptom only.

Salik is also expensive and most people avoid the areas creating dangerous situations on Sheikh Zayed road. Near Barsha where the last exit is traffic is almost always backed up with all cars attempting to exit. I think one of two things can be done. Decrease the price of Salik to 2 dirhams so its more affordable and the price of fuel to take the long way will be more expensive. Also make all of sheikh zayed road tolled so that you avoid the constant entry and exit of vehicles.

can't have cake and eat it too
Posted by langyaw, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 12 October 2008 at 16:10 UAE time


congested roads, bad drivers, high road accident rates, unavailability of public transport, these will prove to be Dubai's undoing unless rectified.
if one would take statistics on these offenders, and I'm making an educated guess, is that most of these would be in the middle to low-earning bracket. INCREASING the fines will be the straw that will break the proverbial camel's back. Especially if the fine will be drawn as instantaneously as possible from the offender.
Technology will help implement this.
Consider RFID-equipped driver's licenses with more radar / cameras and "salik-like" devices on the roads. Once an offender is spotted, the devices "tags" the driver's licenses (displayed visibly behind the windshield), and sends an alert to the nearest mobile policeman. The cop receives the alert, waits for the offender, stops him, reads the RFID D/L to confirm if he is indeed the culprit, and fines him ON THE SPOT. If he can't pay, he is detained and his car impounded. Imagine if speeders are required to cough up AED1,000 for the first offense, and doubled for subsequent offenses.
In other words, put fear where it hurts the most - in the wallet.
-- langyaw

Fines don't work - banning drivers and taking cars off the road does.
Posted by Naz Hussain, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Sunday 12 October 2008 at 00:13 UAE time


Fines clearly don't work, if 36,000 a month are being issued and the situation on the roads sees no noticable improvement.

Bad drivers should be taken off the road - period. Licenses and cars need to be confiscated, which will help take the morons off the road for good.

But I've a feeling the government would rather continue "generating revenue" rather than actually solve the issue on Dubai's roads today.

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