UAE motorists “asked” if speeding fines should be abolished

A major highway in the UAE (Shutterstock)

DUBAI: Motorists in the UAE are being asked if speeding fines and the 20 kph buffer enjoyed by motorists should be kept or not, as the government continues to try to improve road safety.
The government has also asked if the current 600 dirhams ($163) fine for speeding should be reduced.
Excessive speed is one of the biggest killers on the UAE’s roads, yet the buffer zone is regarded as one of the most generous in the world.
Currently the country’s major highways have a 120 kph speed limit, but in many cases, such as the E11 between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, motorists can travel up to 139 kph without being caught by the speed cameras.
Maj Gen Mohammed Saif Al-Zafeen, head of the Federal National Council and assistant commander-in-chief of the Dubai Police, invited the public on Twitter to say whether the buffer should be kept.
Al-Zafeen also asked people if the current 600 dirhams fine should be kept, canceled, reduced or remain as is.
He told UAE daily, The National, that there were no firm plans at this stage, but wanted to “hear from drivers.”
There were 29 people killed in road crashes in the first seven months of 2017, the second most common cause was speeding.
Thomas Edelmann, founder of Road Safety UAE, said he believed the current system was confusing.
“A red light is a red light, a yield sign is a yield sign, a no-overtaking sign is a no-overtaking sign, also a 120kmph max speed sign must be what it means,” he explained.
“As speeding remains the number two cause of deaths on our roads, everything must be done to protect and educate motorists, and clear and precise rules help in this context,” Edelmann added.
And he called for an increase in the enforcement of traffic laws in the UAE.
“With new technologies, such as the section control, average speed measurement, more mobile radars, and more police presence on the roads, (this) will contribute to reducing the number of motorists who commit traffic offenses… This will reduce the number of deaths on the road,” Edelmann said.