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29 March 2024

Dh300 fine for leaving running car unattended

Published
By Mohammed El Sadafy

Vehicle owners leaving car engines switched on while paying quick visit to a shop or withdrawing cash from the ATM, will have to pay a fine of Dh300 to the federal traffic law.

Keeping unattended vehicles running will now be considered traffic law violation.

Major General Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, Director of the General Directorate of Traffic in Dubai revealed that during the past seven months 2314 vehicles were found with its engines on.

He said that many cars are left in the operating mode while visiting sales centers in petrol stations or ATMs (ATM) and other places.

Thinking that it would not pose any threat, the vehicle owners give opportunity to thieves to steal the car without the slightest effort.

However, in case such crimes are committed in the future, the car owner will be solely held responsible.

Zafeen pointed out the increase number of vehicle engines running in order to keep the vehicle cool from inside by running the air-conditioner, has led to the increase of theft.

He stressed that it is getting serious in the case of children, citing a number of dangerous situations children may face when left unattended in the vehicle.

One driver had left two children inside the vehicle and went into a shopping mall. One of the children took a cigarette lighter, which led to the outbreak of a fire in the vehicle. A sergeant on duty immediately broke the side glass of the vehicle and rescued the children.

He cited another case, when a child was left alone and he started playing with automatic the transmission. The child managed to stir the vehicle to the middle of the road and almost caused a tragic accident.
Another child died while manipulating the control panel. He raised the window glass while his head was still out. As a result the glass choked his neck which led to suffocation; he died before his father arrived on the spot.

Major General Mohammed Al Zafeen explained that leaving the vehicle and its engine in operating mode poses environmental, health and safety hazards.

The rate of incidents where the owner left the car engine on in the month of April was 348, in May 330, in March 307 cases were observed while the months of June and July saw 289 and 275 violations respectively.

In the month of January and February 270, while the lowest rate for the offense was seen last August where a total of 225 traffic violation.