Jail, Dh20,000 fine for tampering with car number plates

Jail term, impoundment and a hefty fine starting from Dh20,000. These are the penalties that await any driver who play with their vehicle number plates.
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The Ras Al Khaimah traffic police nabbed 200 drivers across the emirate in the first nine months of the year, for being involved in effacing, making up and manipulating their number plates.
Wiping out or placing any stickers to hide any of the numbers or letters on the plate is a serious violation, and is handled with zero tolerance, warned a top police officer in Ras Al Khaimah.
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Colonel Ali Saeed Al Alkeem, director of traffic and patrols department of RAK Police, said this negative phenomenon poses a grave risk to public safety and national security. "The motorists implicated in this illegal practice, mostly drive at higher speed rather than set limits, jump red signals, and are involved in other crimes, such as robberies and offering illegal shuttle services."
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The number plate, as per the federal traffic law, is the driver's responsibility. "The motorist must keep the registration number tightly fixed, clean and visible."
Any kind of number plate manipulation will result in the driver's imprisonment, and draws a hefty fine and vehicle impoundment, Col Alkeem stressed. "Effacing the number plate, reportedly done by young drivers mostly, shows their lack of awareness."
Zero-tolerance violation
As per Article 49 of the federal traffic law No 21 and its amendments, a jail term and a hefty fine of not less than Dh20,000 shall be slapped on any driver involved in manipulating a number plate, Col Alkeem pointed out. "The penalty shall be increased if the same manipulation is repeated, as the traffic violation then turns into a crime."
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The RAK traffic police have deployed more patrols on all its roads and highways, to curb this serious violation. "Inspection campaigns are on to stop those reckless drivers."
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Meanwhile, RAK also saw nine road accidents involving school buses in the last three years. "These included that 2014 mishap when a school bus ran into a heavy truck and injured 18 students," said Obaid Al Briki, manager of Emirates Transport, RAK branch.
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"Most of the accidents were blamed on the drivers' inattentiveness," he added.
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com