UAE announces new traffic law and implementation date

According to the official platform for UAE government legislation, "UAE legislation," which is developed and overseen by the general secretariat of the Council of Ministers in collaboration with all relevant authorities, Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 on the regulation of traffic and traffic, which was issued by the UAE government last year, goes into effect on March 29.

According to Article (10) of the decree, a natural person must meet four requirements in order to be granted a driver's license: he must be at least seventeen Gregorian years old, pass the required medical examination at the licensing authority or submit an approved report as determined by the executive regulations of this decree by law, and pass the driving test as determined by the executive regulations of this decree by law. The executive regulations of this decree by law also specify the types of driver's licenses, their duration, conditions, controls, age groups, and the procedures required to issue each type of license.

In accordance with the requirements of traffic security and safety, the Traffic Control Authority, in coordination with the licensing authority, may suspend the operation of any driving license in accordance with those requirements. The executive regulations of this decree specify the procedures and controls for the suspension or cancellation of driving licenses and permits or refusal to renew them, re-evaluate controls, and qualify drivers. Article (12) of the decree outlined the cases of license suspension, stating that the licensing authority may suspend the operation of any driving license or permit or cancel or refuse to renew it if it is proven that the holder is not fit to operate a vehicle.

Six offenses including halting a driver

Since it was verified that members of the Traffic Control Authority have the authority to arrest any driver of a vehicle if they are caught red-handed committing any of the six following crimes, Article (31) outlines the authority of the Traffic Control Authority to do so.

1. When someone is killed or injured while operating a motor vehicle.

2. Using the car to cause significant harm to other people's property.

3. Operating a vehicle carelessly or in a way that endangers other people.

4. Operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, psychotropic substances, or similar substances and losing control of it.

5. In the event of one of the offenses listed in this article, failing to disclose his name, address, or any official document containing his personal information, or providing an inaccurate name or address.

6. An attempt to flee in the event of an accident that compromises someone's safety, a stop order given by a Traffic Control Authority member, or a pursuit on the road.

Reservation of a vehicle

Employees of the Traffic Control Authority were permitted to impound any vehicle in seven situations under Article (32):

1. The vehicle is not permitted to be used until its defects are fixed. If it must be taken to a vehicle repair center, it can only be transported in a trailer or portable form with another vehicle, depending on the type of vehicle being transported, and its use will only be permitted once it satisfies all legal and technical requirements. This is especially true if the vehicle is traveling on the road in an unusable condition, does not meet the requirements of this Decree-Law and its Implementing Regulations for number plates or silencers, or is traveling without brakes or adequate lights at night.

2. A vehicle will be impounded and the impoundment will not be lifted until the required driver's license has been turned in to the booking authority and the other requirements and controls outlined in the executive regulations of this Decree-Law have been fulfilled if a driver is found to have violated the law by operating the vehicle without a driver's license twice.

3. If someone is caught driving your car without a license, unless they are exempt, in which case the car is only given to the owner or someone who is legally permitted to take it.

4. If it is used on the road after significant changes have been made to the vehicle's structure, engine power, color, or shape or base (chassis) without the licensing authority's consent, or if it is used in a way that deviates from the rules and regulations established by the licensing authority in this respect.

5. In the event that the vehicle needs to be impounded or used as evidence in court due to an accident involving a crime.

6. Any other situation as decided by this Decree-Law's executive rules.

7. The rights of third parties acting in good faith are unaffected by this article.

Operating a vehicle without a license

The punishment for driving without a license or with an unrecognized license is outlined in Article (37):

1. If a person drives a car on the road for the first time with a foreign driver's license that is not recognized in the country, they will be fined at least 2000 dirhams and not more than 10,000 dirhams. If they reoffend, they will also be imprisoned for at least three months and fined at least 5000 dirhams and not more than 50,000 dirhams.

2. Anyone found guilty of operating a vehicle on the road without a driver's license or with a license that does not permit them to operate the same kind of vehicle faces a maximum sentence of three months in prison and a fine of at least twenty thousand dirhams and up to one hundred thousand dirhams, or both if they commit the same offense again.

Infantry

The decree-law forbids pedestrians and users of personal transportation from parking in the road's river or crossing it other than in designated areas. Pedestrians are also prohibited from crossing roads that have a speed limit exceeding 80 kilometers per hour, and they are subject to any civil or criminal penalties that may arise from breaking this rule.

Manslaughter

Article (40) outlines the punishment for negligently causing someone to die as a result of operating a vehicle on the road. It states that anyone who causes someone to die by accident while operating a vehicle on the road faces imprisonment and a fine of at least 50,000 dirhams, or one of these two penalties.

In the event that the offense took place in any of the following circumstances, the punishment would be either a fine of at least 100,000 dirhams or a minimum of one year in prison.

1. If the act happened as a result of going beyond the red light.

2. Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, psychiatric medications, and similar substances.

3. Operating a vehicle while in possession of a revoked or suspended driver's license.

4. While the torrents are flowing through the valley, drive the car through it.