Vehicles modified with illegal additions will be fined Dh900 and confiscated for 1 month

The Traffic and Patrols Directorate at the Abu Dhabi Police deployed its patrols on internal and external roads in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and the Western Region to detect vehicles and motorcycles that are modified with illegal additions. This step comes in line with the safety plan for the 42nd National Day celebrations.

Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate, warned drivers against equipping their vehicles with additions, which are meant to increase their sound or speed. He noted the danger of such additions in causing accidents that can result in mortalities and serious injuries.

He said: “Vehicles equipped with such additions or those that have their engine specifications altered and sounds increased will not be allowed to participate in the National Day celebrations, as they do not reflect the meanings and indications of this important national occasion; rather they reflect an uncivilized image not matching the country’s status in terms of modernity and development, law respect, public safety and environmental preservation. These vehicles and motor bikes cause disturbance to the public due to their loud sounds, plus the negative impacts they have on health due to the smoke they emit.”

He mentioned that violators will be subject to two penalties: 1- one month vehicle or motorbike confiscation for those equipped with additions or causing public disturbance, 2- a fine of Dh900 (Dh500 including the one month confiscation for driving a vehicle causing noise, and Dh400 for performing alterations to the vehicle’s engine).

Al Harithi stressed that the police will not be tolerant in implementing laws related to this issue through the traffic control campaigns initiated by the Directorate prior to the National Day celebrations. He noted that patrols, traffic detectives and traffic aerial patrols will participate in the campaigns to detect violators and confiscate their vehicles immediately.

He said that traffic safety is a community responsibility, and called upon all segments of society to promote the efforts to reduce this negative issue. He also noted the responsibility of parents to monitor their children, disallow them from altering their vehicles’ engines to increase their speed, and disallow them to ride bikes that cause noise.

The Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate explained: “Improper additions and related electrical wirings that include installing nitrogen gas cylinders and attaching them to the engines that receive the mixed fuel of gasoline and gas, besides exchanging the electrical wires in the vehicles, are performed by unprofessional individuals to increase vehicle speeds. This increases the risks of fire hazards especially if the vehicle hits a solid object that can lead to explosion of vehicles or electrical short circuits and fuel leakage after the collision.”

He stressed the commitment to enhance cooperation with partners to halt such illegal alterations and additions, which workshops do to make huge profits despite the risks arising from such practices. He reiterated that these practices are performed by unprofessional individuals who are unaware of the most basic safety principles, and this leads to major accidents resulting in deaths and serious injuries.

The Traffic and Patrols Directorate at the Abu Dhabi Police identified the requirements for decorating vehicles and participating in the march organized in celebration of the UAE 42nd National Day in a way that enables the various segments of society to express their happiness during this occasion with a civilized spirit without any traffic violations under the theme: “Let's all celebrate under the Spirit of the Union without committing violations.”

Al Harithi called upon drivers to adhere to the conditions that are set by the directorate on decorating vehicles and published in the media along with illustrations that align to traffic safety norms, for the period from November 27th to December 5th. The condition states that drivers should avoid: changing the color of vehicles, placing indecent stickers, picking up passengers that exceed the number of allowed passengers in the vehicle, sitting with bodies outside of windows, dimming or coloring the windshield, using celebration sprays, and exiting vehicles one the main roads.

He also encouraged them to adhere to the spirit of the union and to traffic laws and regulations, and to follow the directions given by traffic police personnel during marches and annual celebrations on this dear occasion. He stressed that these steps aim to prevent reckless and irresponsible practices of some individuals from causing accidents that will tarnish the beauty of this occasion due to the mortalities and causalities that could result.

He said that the directorate will confiscate immediately all vehicles that cause the destruction of public property including sidewalks and environmental components, disrupt of traffic, create road closures for other drivers, and all other traffic behaviors that reflect uncivilized images. He mentioned that confiscated vehicles will then be transferred to the confiscation yard and will remain there for one month, in addition to the possibility of imposing a fine of Dh2,000 and adding 12 black points to the driving licenses of violators.

He noted that the traffic directorate in Abu Dhabi will be firm in reacting to any behaviors not in keeping with the spirit of the union during the National Day celebrations; the law applies to all violators. He added that there will be intensive monitoring of traffic on internal and external roads through patrols, traffic detectives and traffic aerial patrols, in addition to monitoring roads with surveillance cameras and taking visual shots of violators.

Al Harithi said that the actions that will lead to immediate confiscation of vehicles will include: not adhering to decorating rules, reckless driving causing disturbance to the public, disrupting traffic, blocking roads for other drivers, using celebration sprays and exiting vehicles at main roads.

He warned drivers from distorting front and rear license plates of their vehicles, performing acrobatic stunts, disrupting traffic, blocking roads for other drivers and carrying out other practices that spread chaos and disturbance among the public. In addition, he warned against installing means that create noise and disturbance, using the horn in a disturbing way especially in residential areas, changing the color of the vehicle, performing stunts, and picking up passengers that exceed the number of allowed passengers in the vehicle.

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