Dubai court fines driver for hitting pedestrian at crossing and fleeing scene

Dubai: A Dubai traffic court has convicted a young man of injuring a pedestrian at a designated crossing and fleeing the scene without offering assistance. The court also convicted the vehicle's owner for allowing him to drive despite knowing he did not hold a valid driving licence. The court fined the driver AED5,000 and the vehicle owner AED1,000 after finding both men guilty based on their confessions, the traffic report and the accident diagram. According to court records, the first defendant was driving a vehicle owned by the second defendant in the Al Rifa'a area despite not holding a valid licence authorising him to drive that type of vehicle. The court found that the driver failed to take road conditions and other road users into account and did not slow down when approaching a pedestrian crossing. He struck a pedestrian who was crossing the road, causing injuries and damage to the vehicle. The driver then left the scene without stopping, assisting the injured pedestrian or calling an ambulance, in violation of legal requirements applicable to motorists involved in traffic accidents. In its ruling, the court said the driver's liability extended beyond causing the accident itself. It cited a series of offences, including driving without a valid licence, failing to exercise due care, not reducing speed at a pedestrian crossing and leaving the scene despite the presence of an injured person. The court said these offences were established through the traffic report, accident diagram, inspection records and the defendant's confession during the investigation. The court also found the vehicle owner liable after it emerged that he had knowingly allowed the first defendant to drive his vehicle despite being aware that he did not possess a driving licence issued by the relevant UAE authority. It held that the owner's conduct constituted participation by agreement and assistance in the offence of driving without a licence, noting that the offence would not have occurred in the same manner had he not permitted the defendant to use the vehicle. The court said the defendants' confessions were consistent with the evidence presented in the case file, including the traffic report, inspection findings and accident diagram. It further ruled that the offences of causing injury through negligence, damaging property and leaving the scene of an accident without a valid excuse were closely linked because they stemmed from a single act. Taking into account the circumstances of the case, the court imposed a fine of AED3,000 on the driver for the related offences and a further AED2,000 for driving without a licence, bringing the total fine to AED5,000. The vehicle owner was fined AED1,000 for allowing an unlicensed person to drive his vehicle.