New rules: 10 mistakes that will now cost you your driving licence in the UAE

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New federal laws implemented with higher fines and more black points dished out on your driving licence in the UAE aim to cut road death rates in half

In the UAE one thing you’re not short of is long, wide, smooth roads to enjoy but if you’ve got a heavy right foot you might only get to enjoy them from the passenger seat of a beige Camry taxi cab. Or even more unfortunate – the back seat of a green-and-white police car.

This week the UAE amended its traffic laws, and they’re federal laws meaning they apply to all of the seven emirates, so you can’t just plead ignorance. Part of the new regulations are amendments to the black points rules so it’s now easier than ever to lose your driving privileges in the nation.

Remember, if you get 24 black points in the UAE you can wave wada’an to your licence. The new changes have been applied in an effort to make the country’s roads safer, and according to the Ministry of Interior the fines will help lower traffic-related deaths on our roads by half.

Ignore these new traffic fine laws at your own peril

In fact within 24 hours of the new laws being applied, the Dubai Police alone issued nearly 1,300 fines to motorists disregarding the new rules. Most instances of broken laws were minor, and applied to blocking traffic, followed by lane discipline, then illegal parking, and then tail gating. Only one in five fines handed out by the Dubai Police on the day w

These violations will cost you from between AED 400 and AED 1,000, however there are many other violations with much more grave consequences. So, ignore these new traffic fine laws at your own peril:

1. If you have the bad habit of not buckling up as soon as you get in your car (regardless of whether it’s moving or not – stationary vehicles get hit very often with the parked car absorbing most of the impact), you’ll get four black points on your licence and a fine of AED 400. That’s very cheap considering the other price you could pay is with your life.

2. Making a bad decision and driving under the influence of alcohol will cost you a maximum fine of AED 20,000, plus 60 days in the impound lot for your car, and 23 black points on your licence.  Driving under the influence of narcotics will additionally see your licence immediately suspended for a year, that is, after you’ve come out of jail.

3. There is no better incentive to slow down then a law stating that exceeding the maximum posted speed limit by more than 80kph will net you 23 black points and a fine of AED3,000, plus an a free impound lot visit for your car valued at 60 days…

4. This one’s a bit arbitrary, but according to the Dubai Police if you’re “Driving in a way that endangers people” you’re liable for a fine of AED2,000 and 23 black points, as well as of course two all-inclusive months in an impound lot.

5. If you like to pick up hitchhikers make sure the ride’s free because transporting passengers illegally is against the law and will see you immediately lose your licence with 24 black points and a fine of AED3,000.

6. We wish this one was policed more effectively because overtaking dangerously makes you liable for a fine of AED600 and six black points – do it four times in one year and you lose your licence, although we see people doing it four times in one morning commute on Shaikh Zayed Road every day…

7. Although if this one was enforced, there’d likely be no more Nissan Sunny drivers on the road – driving below the minimum speed limit is punishable with a fine of AED400 but no black points. Effectively these types of drivers drive so slow they eventually just coast to a stop and forget what they were doing anyway.

8. If you have a driving licence for a light passenger car equipped with an automatic transmission, but you’re driving a manual, you risk a small fine of just AED400 but a whopping 12 black points, so get caught twice and it’s the bus stop next.

9. There is still far too much leniency concerning driving and talking on the phone, so you’d need to get caught six times to lose your licence because each fine is worth just four black points and AED800…

10. Again, if this was properly enforced our roads would be deserted, because driving at night without using your lights properly will net you four black points and a fine of AED500. 

as for improper seatbelt use