Run out of fuel on Dubai roads? Pay Dh200 fine

Cars which run out of fuel on Dubai’s roads are likely to be fined Dh200.

Major General Mohammed Saif Al Zaffin, Director, Dubai Police Traffic Department, was quoted by Al Bayan as saying that running out of fuel on the road is a danger to other motorists and impedes traffic flow.

Maj Gen Zaffin then cited a recent case in which, after helping the hapless female motorist, the police fined her Dh200.

“A media person recently ran out of fuel and ended up obstructing traffic movement.

“This is dangerous and accidents can happen,” Maj Gen Zaffin said.

The car stopped in the middle of the road and a Dubai Police patrol which was passing by stopped to help.

Meanwhile, a huge tailback was already forming.

The driver confirmed that she didn’t have petrol in her car.

The police then helped her and issued a Dh200 fine.

Maj Gen Zaffin said it is terrible neglect on the part of a motorist not to check the fuel gauge in the car.

“If the car stops on a highway it will collide with more cars come from the rear and cause fatal accidents,” Maj Gen Zaffin said.

He asserted it is considered violation of traffic to stop in the middle of the road, despite there being no specific law governing the running out of fuel.

He called on the public to avoid such violations.

Traffic fines issued by mistake can be reviewed

People who were issued notices of traffic violations by mistake will be able to submit a petition to the Dubai Traffic Police to check the credibility of the notice or get it lifted, according to Maj Gen Mohammed Saif Al Zaffin, director general of Dubai Traffic Police.

Al Zaffin recently called people who were issued notices of traffic violations to review their cases.

They were issued notices for traffic violations at the Sheraton traffic signal opposite the Dubai Land Department on the grounds that they committed the offence of entering a non-designated area.

He added that the review decision was taken after it was discovered that there are no panel (signboard) to show that U-turns are banned from this signal.

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Maj Gen Al Zaffin said: “This decision was taken after receiving a complaint from an Emarati stating that he passes this traffic signal opposite the Dubai Land Department every day while going to work.”

Al Zaffin added: “He received a number of notices for entering a non-designated area though there is no panel showing "No U-turn.”

Maj Gen Al Zaffin said: “After verifying the authenticity of the complaint, it was decided to lift the charge against him.”

Al Zaffin disclosed that people who were mistakenly charged twice for the same offence by the Dubai Police and RTA have to visit Dubai Traffic Police or RTA to get the charge lifted, because charging a person twice for the same offence is wrong.

Al Zaffin said: “Dubai Police believes that advice is better than issuing a notice of offence and, just as we charge errant drivers, it is our duty to remove a notice of violation issued by mistake.”

He explained that it would be difficult to get a refund of fines already paid for irregularities. Only fines mistakenly charged for irregularities and which are still unpaid, would be exempted.

Dubai Police recovered Dh992m in unpaid fines last year

The inquiry team of the General Department of Traffic, Dubai Police, has recovered Dh922.4 million from about 1,520,213 tickets that drivers failed to pay between 2009 until end-October, according to a top police official.

Major General Mohammad Saif Al Zaffin, Director, General Department of Traffic, Dubai Police, said during the first 10 months of this year, fines for 600,127 tickets were recovered while 554,160 tickets were paid last year and 365,926 were paid in 2009.

He said the Dubai Traffic Department set up the investigation team in  2009 as several motorists refused to pay fines accumulated for traffic violations.

Maj-Gen Al Zaffin said a number of fines had to be cancelled because the number plates of cars noted were wrong.

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The team that aided in recovering the fines comprised three sections - Administrative Division, which was entrusted with the responsibility of collecting photos of violating vehicles from the database. The Follow-up Division that collected detailed information about vehicles and the Field Division that contacted owners of violating vehicles.

Motorists use various means to avoid paying fines and cheating speed radars on roads, he added. So speed cameras are now upgraded to take pictures of rare number plates, too. Earlier, only the front number plate was captured on radars and some drivers tampered with the plate and blurred the numbers on them, said Maj-Gen Al Zaffin.

Impounded vehicles will be referred to court.First-time offenders will be ordered to pay fine and the vehicle will be confiscated for varied durations depending on teh severity of the offence.

In the last three years, eight criminal cases have been filed against motorists for tampering with number plates and 263 cars impounded. 

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