The most common driving violations in Abu Dhabi
Do you drive or plan to drive in Abu Dhabi? While driving can be a lot more convenient than taking public transport, there’s also a number of traffic rules you’ll need to remember and follow – including being mindful of the lane you’re in and whether or not it allows left turns. As a matter of fact, this was the subject of a road safety video released by Abu Dhabi police a couple of weeks ago. So in light of the renowned interest in traffic rules, this Pacific Prime Dubai article will go over common driving violations in the Emirates.
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1. Taking a left turn whilst in the middle lane
Let’s start with the traffic rule that sparked this conversation in the first place. If you’re in the middle lane of an intersection or road crossing, and take a left turn (when you’re not supposed to), you’ll be faced with a fine of AED 400. Courtesy of the Abu Dhabi police, here’s a video to better illustrate the point:
— شرطة أبوظبي (@ADPoliceHQ) April 10, 2022
2. Being reckless on the road (jumping red lights, road racing, etc.)
Have an urge to drive like you’re on the set of Fast & Furious? You should know that reckless driving is not allowed, including jumping red lights, unauthorized road racing, deliberately colliding into a police car, driving with a concealed or distorted license plate, etc. For this offense, your car can be impounded, and you’ll need to pay up to AED 50,000 for it.
Note: There are specific consequences for each act of reckless driving. For instance, jumping red lights is an offense that can be fined AED 1,000 and incur 12 traffic black points*. Your car will also be impounded for 30 days and you’ll need to pay AED 5,000 for it.
*In the UAE, the traffic black point system was introduced to encourage safe driving and adherence to traffic rules and road safety. Drivers who violate these rules can incur up to 24 traffic black points, which is the maximum limit allowed.
3. Overtaking from the right-hand side
In many countries, you can overtake from both the left or the right sides. But this isn’t the case in Abu Dhabi. Often referred to as the overtaking lane, the left lane is what you should use if you wish to overtake a car in front of you. Overtook from the right? Be prepared for a fine up to AED 600 and six traffic black points.
4. Allowing children below 10 years to sit in the front seat
Children below the age of 10 aren’t allowed to sit in the front seat of a car for safety reasons. If you allow this to happen in your car, you’ll have to pay a fine of AED 400. In addition, your vehicle will be impounded and you’ll need to pay AED 5,000 for it. Note that this must be done within three months.
5. Ignoring pedestrian crossings and/or not giving way to pedestrians
Oftentimes, divers can be in a hurry and ignore the needs of those who are walking. So always remember to give priority to pedestrians in designated pedestrian crossings. Not doing so will lead to a fine of AED 500 and six traffic black points.
6. Driving without a valid driving license
With the risk of a minimum AED 5,000 fine and a maximum of three months in prison, driving without a valid Abu Dhabi driving license is an offense that you certainly don’t want to commit. You can use an international driving license until your residence permit is issued, at which point you can then apply for a local driving license.
Do you have a driving license from any of the countries below? You’ll be glad to know that you can transfer your license to a UAE one.
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahrain
- Belgium
- Canada
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Kuwait
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Oman
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Saudi Arabia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
7. Other Abu Dhabi driving violations to know of
We’ve just scratched the surface when it comes to driving violations in Abu Dhabi. Some other violations to know of include tailgating, driving noisy vehicles or making illegal modifications to car engines, driving with an expired vehicle registration, littering on the road whilst driving, not wearing a seat belt whilst driving, using a mobile phone whilst driving, and more.
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With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.
Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.
Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.
Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
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