Emiratis to clean UAE parks, streets for reckless driving

Abu Dhabi - They will also maintain and clean parks

Five young men have been ordered to clean the streets, maintain public parks, mosques and public libraries for violating traffic laws.
The General Directorate of Community Services at Abu Dhabi's Public Prosecution on Thursday handed down the community service to the men, including four Emiratis and one from a GCC nation after a court in Al Dhafra area convicted them of various traffic offences including performing road stunts and reckless driving.
Two of the men have been ordered to maintain and clean public parks while two others were told to clean the streets. The fifth man was sentenced to serve petrol at a fuel pump.
Official records stated that in one of the cases, two men assaulted each other after they deliberately hit each other's vehicle in a case of reckless driving.
In the second case, a young man was accused of allowing his colleague - the fourth defendant - to drive a car without a license. Each of the men will do community service for two months. The driving license of the third defendant has been suspended for a year.
In the third case, the Al Dhafra Criminal Court convicted a young man on charges of driving a car without a number plate and using the car to make a noise to disturb residents. He was sentenced to do community service for one month and fined Dh500. His driving license has been taken away for three months.
Ali Mohammed Al Baloushi, Abu Dhabi's Attorney General has called on young people to be well behaved and display good manners, especially when using roads, to avoid endangering their lives and the lives of others.
He explained that during the holiday period there has been an increase in the number of youths - aged between 18 and 30 - being convicted of reckless driving.
"This phenomenon of reckless driving among youngsters needs to be addressed collectively by all segments of the society including the community, educators and the media," he added.
"Parents and families should also speak to children about the dangers of reckless driving and the importance of adhering to traffic rules and regulations."
The Public Prosecutors noted that the community service work assigned to the convicts is aimed at benefiting the public in addition to reforming the convicts and changing their behaviors.
The prosecutors oversee implementation of the community service and receive reports on the offenders' performance, according to the law. If the convict fails to perform the community service well, prosecutors can refer them to court, after which they would be given a jail sentence equal to the period of the community service they had been handed.
Authorities said that community service has replaced detention in minor crimes that otherwise do not exceed more than six months imprisonment or a fine.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com