The UAE is known for its strict traffic laws and road safety policies. Traffic violations are discouraged through the implementation of hefty fines and penalties. While some violations can cost you thousands of dirhams, some are severe enough to get your car impounded. The latter can be an unnerving situation as most people don’t know how to deal with impounded cars.
One should always try to avoid such offences – but in case you do find yourself in that scenario, here is a guide to help you through it.
Reasons for Impoundment
Various traffic violations can result in an impoundment. Before delving further, let’s take a look at some of the common traffic violations that contribute to the confiscation of cars in the UAE.
- Driving under the influence of drugs, narcotics or alcohol
- Accidents leading to death or serious injuries
- Endangering life and safety of others and yourself
- Damaging private or public properties
- Driving without a number plate
- Driving an unlicensed vehicle or on an expired registration
- Failure to stop at red signal
- Driving in the wrong direction
- Failure to stop after an accident
- Trying to dodge traffic police
- Driving over 60 km/h above the maximum speed limit
- Illegal transportation of passengers or hazardous material
- Illegally modifying your car
- Driving a noisy vehicle
- Street racing
- Attempting to escape traffic police
Most of these rules are standard across the UAE. However, to save yourself from all the hassle, you should cater to all elements mentioned in the list of things to avoid while driving.
How to Get Your Car Out of Impound in the UAE
Getting your car out of impound is a simple and straightforward process. All you need is to clear your fines and wait for the impounding period to end. You can either pay your fines to the regional traffic authority or the law enforcement services.
Here is a quick overview of how you can pay your fine in Dubai:
- Inquire about your fines through the online portal of Dubai Police or Road and Transport Authority (RTA).
- Cross-check the number of days you have to wait before your car can be released.
- On clearance of fine, approach the concerned police station to get info on impounding charges and yard location.
- Upon clearance of pending fines, proceed to impound site to free impounded car.
Impounding Period
Impounded vehicles are usually taken to the region’s police or traffic authority impound yard. Based on the type of violation, impound period can last anywhere in between 7 to 60 days with the exception of 90 days for driving without number plates.
Charges Associated with Vehicle Impounding
Impounded cars may leave you with surprising additional service charges. For instance, an extra cost of up to AED 500 will be charged as transportation cost for impounded vehicles.
The aim is to further discourage people from committing serious traffic violations and promote safer and cautious driving.
Getting Your Car Back During the Impoundment Period
As the livelihood of some people depends on their vehicles, they might want access to their car during the impoundment period. This is possible after paying an additional amount for the waiver. The amount depends on regional police of the emirates. You will still be required to clear up all pending dues including the confiscation charges.
Impounded at Home: Smart Impounding in the UAE
If you ever visit impound yards in Dubai, they are already full of abandoned cars or confiscated vehicles from the traffic violators. Hence, to avoid overcrowding of impound lots, a smart impound system in Dubai was introduced to impound vehicles at your own home. The system is now also available in other Emirates of the UAE including Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
If you commit an offence that leads to impounding of your vehicle, you can request regional police to install a smart tracker. Once the tracker is installed, the authorities can remotely access the movements of your car. In other words, your car will be home impounded, and you are not allowed to move it during the impound period.
Of course, such services come at additional expenses. For instance, a smart tracker in Abu Dhabi can cost around AED 15 per day.
New Regulations on Impounding of Vehicles
It’s quite evident that laws in the UAE get updated regularly to keep the violators in check. In recent years, we have seen initiatives by the Dubai government to even clamp down on dirty cars.
To keep the city clean and well-maintained, unwashed and abandoned cars will first receive a warning sticker. If the owner fails to respond and clean the car, it will be confiscated by the authorities. If the owner is still out of reach and does not pay the fine after a period of 15 days, the vehicle can be put up for auction.
The same is true for Abu Dhabi where dust-covered cars will get impounded if left unattended for too long. Additionally, if your pending traffic fines rack up to AED 7000 or more, your car can get confiscated. The new rule was implemented recently as Abu Dhabi was facing countless cases of unpaid fines.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to unclaimed impounded cars?
Among the list of confiscated cars, a number of them account for abandoned cars. These cars are usually forwarded to the police impound yard for verification and then put up for auction.
What to do if my car got impounded due to expired registration in the UAE?
Whether your car registration has expired or near its expiry date, you are required to clear all pending fines. According to Dubai Police, cars with expired registration have a grace period of one month before they are fined, followed by confiscation of the vehicle in the third month.
What happens when a vehicle gets impounded?
There can be two scenarios: either you will be alerted by authorities to submit your car for the impoundment, or the car will get impounded at the scene of the traffic violation. Nonetheless, you are likely to receive some hefty traffic fine on the impounded car along with black points.
Abiding by traffic regulations and avoiding serious violations is one way to steer clear of any offence that may lead to impounding. It is not just a hassle to deal with; it will also leave you without a car.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading auto blogs for more information on cars, auto market trends and automotive technology.
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