Stricter penalties incorporated into the new significant amendments made to the vehicle impounding system in Dubai come into effect on July 6

To promote traffic safety and protect citizens' lives and property in the emirate, severe penalties have been integrated into the new substantial adjustments made to Dubai's car impounding system. The new traffic legislation will take effect on July 6. His Majesty Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued Decree No. 30 of 2023 amending certain articles of Decree No. 29 of 2015, specifically related to the impoundment of vehicles owned by owners who commit serious traffic violations.

The proposed modifications are designed to reinforce the enforcement of such sanctions, ensure traffic safety, prevent accidents, and foster a safer atmosphere on the roads. The decree specifies particular circumstances of administrative and mandatory car impoundment.

According to the proposed modifications, impoundment of vehicles can be enacted in the following circumstances:

• Vehicles participating in road races without prior permission and recreational motorcyclists riding on paved roads will be seized.
•  If a non-Emirati driver of a heavy-duty vehicle runs a red light, he will be deported. 
• Those who disregard the red light will be fined Dh50,000.
• Police will now be allowed to confiscate vehicles that have been modified to exceed the speed limit or make excessive noise while driving.
• The police can also take a car that is being driven recklessly, poses a threat to others, or attempts to flee the police.
• It also detailed the impoundment fines, which are Dh100,000 for a vehicle that participates in a road race without prior authorization from the police, and Dh50,000 for a leisure motorbike riding on a paved road.
• Police can seize automobiles whose owners flee, as well as vehicles operated on the road without licence plates. Vehicles whose drivers congregate to watch races or participate in road races for show will be seized.
• Vehicles having tinted glass that exceeds the permissible limit, as well as those tinting the vehicle's windscreen without a permission, will be impounded.
• A car with a phoney, disguised, or tampered number plate will be seized, as will a motorist who uses his vehicle to purposefully hit a police vehicle or cause damage to it.
• A car driven by a minor under the age of 18 must be seized.

The impounding period in each case varies and will be determined upon a decision issued by the Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police:

• The cases of administrative and permissive vehicle impoundment, as well as the maximum impounding period in each case, are determined by a decision issued by the Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, in consultation with the relevant authorities, provided that the decision is published in the official gazette of the Dubai Government.
• Impounded automobiles may be freed after paying all penalties owed on the vehicle according to the traffic file, repair of the infraction or elimination of its causes, and compliance with any additional restrictions imposed by Dubai Police.
• The impounded car will be freed only when the owner has paid all penalties levied against him for all breaches committed. The driver whose car was confiscated for participating in road racing must pay Dh100,000 to get it freed from the impounding lot.
• If a biker was driving a recreational motorbike on a paved road, he would have to pay a Dh50,000 fee to get his motorcycle freed.
• In addition, dangerous drivers and those who run red lights would have to pay Dh50,000 to get their vehicles freed.
• Those who drive a car with phoney, concealed, or altered plate numbers, or who intentionally strike or damage a police vehicle, will have to pay Dh50,000 to get their vehicles freed. An underage driver must additionally pay Dh50,000 to get his car freed.
• Those who have their automobiles impounded for exceeding the speed limit and making excessive noise on the road, or who have eluded police officers, must pay a Dh10,000 fee to get their vehicles freed from the impounding lot.
• Motorists who drive their vehicles on the road without a licence plate, or those who assemble to watch races or become part in pandemonium, will be fined Dh10,000.
• Motorists who darkened their vehicles over the permissible level or who tinted the vehicle's windscreen without a permission would have to pay Dh10,000 to get their vehicles freed.
• According to the terms of Article 3 of the decree, the impounded vehicle can only be freed when the owner has paid the fines levied on him and the impoundment time has expired.
• If a vehicle is impounded again within one year of the previous impoundment for the same offence, the impoundment period will be doubled, provided that the impoundment period does not exceed 90 days and the release amount does not exceed Dh200,000.
• Police can also confiscate a car administratively if the combined traffic penalties surpass Dh6,000. The seized car will be freed once the owner has paid the traffic penalty.
• If the car owner does not claim the seized vehicle before the impoundment time expires, they will be required to pay Dh50 every day after the impoundment period ends.