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Motorists scamper to remove illegal accessories

ABU DHABI - Motorists in the capital is scampering to automobile workshops and accessory shops to remove speed boosters and decorations in the fear of penalties under the new federal traffic law that came into effect this month.

This reporter who visited a number of such workshops and outlets met quite a few motorists who had come to remove some of the paraphernalia fitted in their vehicles. Yusouf Hamdan, a national car owner, said, “I came here to replace the tint film on the window glasses with the permissible 30 per cent tint to avoid the fine.”

He noted that many young motorists who had installed speed boosters like turbo engine and filters were dismantling them. He said these accessories sometimes caused accidents like fire.

“We can say that the black points system has come to protect the lives of motorists,” he added.

Another national, Ghanem Salim, said he was in favour of the new law. Ghanem said he had come to remove some illegal accessories from his car. He mentioned the Dh100,000 hydraulic suspension system, which lowered the car near to the ground to make it run faster, appealed to many national and resident motorists. “I call upon all motorists to take these accessories out of their cars,” he added.

Echoing the same, Ilyas Mohammed, an Indian motorist, said, “My friends liked to install accessories for stunt drive like excessive lights and flashes and tinted glass above the limit. Now after the new traffic law came into effect, they are hurrying to get rid of these items so as not to lose their driving licences.”

Mohammed Al Sayed, an Egyptian, said, “I knew many car owners who frequented the Mussafah industrial area to deck up their cars with accessories like speed boosters and tinted glass. But these things have become a thing of the past after the enforcement of the new traffic law.”

Colonel Ghaith Al Za’abi, Director of the Traffic Department, Ministry of Interior, said the rush to dismantle these needless items was a promising trend.

“No doubt, the objectives of the black points system have begun to be realised and the evidence is this rush by both national and expatriate motorists to dismantle anything that could bring them into the long hand of the law,” he maintained.

He reminded rash motorists that they would have to cough up Dh2,000 in fine and get 12 black points for reckless driving and dangerous racing on the road. The two offences were enough to get a motorist all 24 black points and suspension of the licence for three months.

Motorists who had fitted their vehicles with speed boosters could land in trouble, inviting a fine of Dh700 for speeding, and those who had windows tinted above the 30 per cent limit would be slapped with Dh500 fine, besides impounding of their vehicles for a month.

Offences like unauthorised alteration in the engine and overuse of colourful lights invite a fine of Dh200, he added.

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