201 motorists were fined for ignoring repeated calls to avoid noisy driving by Ras Al Khaimah Police during the first nine months of 2019, it has been revealed.
The drivers, who were fined a total of Dh402,000, were primarily caught while speeding on the roads of the city and on thoroughfares, a senior police officer says.
The director of RAK Police’s traffic and patrol department, Colonel Ahmad Al Sam Al Naqbi, described the drivers as callous and risking not only their own lives but also those of other road users.
30 drivers were actually issued their fines in absentia, though 171 were present when their fines were given out, Al Naqbi confirms.
The drivers received fines of Dh200 each in addition to having 12 black traffic points issued against them.
Drivers have been warned not to disturb the public by RAK Police before, particularly in places such as residential areas and tourist sites, Al Naqbi points out.
Al Naqbi adds that there is nothing thrilling or humorous about drifting, speeding or driving noisy vehicles with accessories and that there will be no tolerance of this behaviour within this sector of the United Arab Emirates.
More police staff will be deployed and more raids launched against any auto garages that take part in unlawful engine changes by the RAK traffic and patrol department, Al Naqbi warns.
Noisy accessories are also to be banned from vehicles.
529 motorbikes were also impounded by RAK Police during 2019 as they flouted traffic rules, primarily by making too much noise at night, says the head of RAK Police’s traffic and patrols section, Major Salem Mohamed Burqiba.
The bikes annoy thousands of people by disturbing the peace and are often seen in packs of youngsters, while others are ridden by those without licences, according to Burqiba.
A number of campaigns have been launched by RAK Police to try to make drivers and the parents of young riders more aware of the negative impact of speeding and traffic accidents.
Traffic officers have also been visiting residential areas and offering the public good advice to try to ensure traffic flow, cut down on the number of accidents, and protect the lives of drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
The inspections are to continue indefinitely in Ras Al Khaimah in order to deter drivers and bring offenders to justice, Burqiba says.
Many impounded vehicles and motorbikes left unclaimed have been sold off by the Ras Al Khaimah Municipality.
Many of them had remained uncollected for several years.
Owners have just one month after their vehicles have been seized to collect them, after which they cannot be reclaimed under UAE law, says the RAK Municipality’s director general Munzir bin Shukr.
Anyone who is driving a motor vehicle in the UAE has to be covered by at least a basic form of third-party car insurance by law.
Car insurance protects drivers in the event of accidents that cause damage to their own vehicle or other vehicles.