Fine discount brings safe drivers out of UAE residents

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Fine discount brings safe drivers out of UAE residents

Dubai - Drivers can get up to a 100% reduction on the total accumulated existing traffic fines.

By Kelly Clarke

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Published: Wed 6 Feb 2019, 6:00 PM

Last updated: Thu 7 Feb 2019, 10:05 AM

Residents and road safety experts in the UAE have welcomed the new initiative by the Dubai Police, which encourages better road behaviour in exchange for substantial monetary discounts on accumulated traffic fines.
If all goes to plan for Pakistani resident Saadat Ali, he will be eligible to wipe more than Dh10,000 of fines from his driving licence.
"The system shows I have Dh8,000 to Dh9,000 in fines against my licence, most for speeding, but some additional ones are not showing up. In all I have about Dh10,900 to pay. This chance to clear that debt is great," he told Khaleej Times.

Blaming his accrued speeding offences on "rushing to work and driving while sleepy", he said this will prompt him to be more road safety-conscious.
"The introduction of this rule has honestly made my day. And yes, I will improve my awareness on the road. I think many people will. I don't want just 25 per cent or 50 per cent discount, I want 100 per cent, so that means good driving for me for the next 12 months, and hopefully always."
Ian Littlefield, training and quality manager at Dubai Driving Centre, said any initiative to improve road behaviours is welcomed with open arms.
"This is basically another guise of the White Points initiative from the Dubai Police, which has been hugely successful. This one has been packaged with a new twist under the Year of Tolerance drive, and kudos I say."
While Littlefield said he doesn't think this will be "an epiphany moment for everybody" in the sense that all drivers will suddenly become good drivers, it will certainly "appeal to the masses and see good things happen on Dubai's roads".
"One thing they are hoping to come from this is that particularly bad drivers will respond positively to it. And hopefully that dangling carrot of a discount will offset them to do good, even if they're only financially motivated at first. I believe if you start someone off doing all the right things for the wrong reasons, like financial gain, if they do the right things for long enough it will become a habit. The end goal is that residents here become safer drivers."
What could also work, he said, is an educational element as the requirement for discount. For instance, if residents take a course on safe driving, they can have a points system which can later be translated to discounts on fines.
Although Indian resident Rahul Sadheer doesn't have any backlog of fines on his licence, he said it's still good news.
"It offers peace of mind to good drivers. The irrational drivers out there who have racked up a lot of fines will now consciously try to be better drivers, and that's a great thing."
And Cheryl Lenard agreed.
"I do have two fines on my licence for speeding, it's about Dh1,200 in all. They were a one off so I'll use this initiative to get those wiped off, the total amount, 100 per cent. But for me, the overriding part of this news is that it will make our roads safer. It took me over one year to get the courage to drive here because some people, to be honest, are terrible and have terrible habits on the road."
But now, even if it is only for financial reasons to begin with, people will be a lot more aware on the roads.
"The fact that it applies to a number of violations like jumping the red light, speeding is a good thing. People won't just get better at driving in one particular area, it will be a whole new change of focus as a motorist."
Conditions for eligibility
>Applies only to privately owned vehicles registered in Dubai
>Does not apply to vehicles registered with businesses, rental offices or companies, including public or private transport companies
>Does not apply to individuals who reside outside the state for more than three consecutive months from the date of the traffic violation
kelly@khaleejtimes.com


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