Motorists in Dubai will, from this month, be able to take advantage of a 50% discount on their accumulated traffic fines thanks to a new special initiative from Dubai Police, it has been revealed. The traffic fine discount initiative was originally launched on 6 February, but the second phase was implemented by Dubai Police this week, beginning on 21 August. Nearly half a million motorists were able to benefit from the earlier discount of 25% on their traffic fines under the scheme, which intends to encourage drivers to admit their offences and be able to put them behind them.
The initiative means that motorists who did not commit further offences for three months from 6 February would benefit from a discount of 25%, with 50% for those who did not commit another offence for six months. However, drivers who commit no further offences for nine months could now be given a discount of up to 75%, and those who go a whole year without committing any driving offences will have all of their accumulated fines completely written off. The second phase was automatically implemented this month on the smart application and website belonging to Dubai Police.
The Director of Dubai Police’s Security Media Department, Colonel Faisal Al Qasim, says that a large number of drivers were hugely interested in the initiative, and police have been happy to answer any and all questions relating to it. Qasim credited the successful strategy to Dubai Police’s Commander-In-Chief, Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Merri, who was aiming to enhance the relationship between the police and public and to increase awareness of public opinions in order to be able to give them the best services and increase public happiness. In May 2019, Dubai Police said that the initiative had been responsible for reducing the number of traffic accidents from 48,247 in the first quarter of 2018 to just 43,947 in the same time period this year.
Motorists in Dubai can also have their cars registered during the initiative without the need to pay their traffic fines. It has been confirmed by Dubai Police that drivers can register their vehicles and wait to pay their fines, though any fines that have been issued by other emirates will have to be paid. The 100% discount on fines on vehicles applies only to the ones that were registered in Dubai itself, and then only if the driver obeys all traffic laws and regulations and commits no further traffic violations for a full year from 6 February 2019 onwards. However, neither Salik nor parking fines are included in the discounts as they do not count as traffic offences. Traffic points and the seizure of vehicles are included in the discount.