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Public told not to use plastic number plates

RAS AL KHAIMAH — Motorists and cyclists here have been warned against using plastic number plates and violating other traffic rules and systems as part of a large-scale campaign which kicked off yesterday to control the traffic on the emirate’s roads and ensure compliance with the regulations. Speed cameras are unable to photograph the plastic number plates, traffic police officials point out.

The campaign has been launched by the RAK Traffic and Licensing Department (RTLD) in cooperation with the Patrols Section and the Criminal Investigations Department CID.

“The drive came as a realisation of the directives of Major-General Shaikh Talib bin Saqer Al Qasimi, Director of the RAK Police Department (RPD),” Colonel Nasir Salim Murded, Director of RTLD, said.

The RTLD had reported last year that more than 15,000 car owners in RAK don’t have valid car registration documents and have not gone through the necessary car validity technical check-up for several years. On its first day of the drive, warnings were issued to more than 23 motorists for violating the traffic rules like expiry of car registrations, failure to furnish driving licences and car registration documents besides overloading of vehicles.

“We will no longer be lenient with those motorists who violate car and all traffic rules,” Murded said. This includes negligence in fastening seatbelts and using cellular phones while driving, he added. “Some car owners replace the metallic plates with plastic ones, whereas others add some drawings or decorations to it. These acts make it very difficult for traffic police officials to identify the cars that violate traffic rules or speed limits, on time,” he added.

Apart from speed cameras not being able to photograph plastic number plates on cars, traffic police personnel say they also find it difficult to read some number plates that carry strange decorations or beautiful handwriting. The department proposes to ask the RAK Municipality (RM) to take stern action against the calligraphers who write on plastic number plates.

“These acts are punishable and tough measures await the violators,” Murded said, adding: “These measures include hefty fines that amount to Dh5,000 and impounding of the car for one month.”

“The confiscation period will be increased to three months in case the violation is repeated,'' he said. “The department will also impound the vehicle permanently if the violation is committed three times. The department will take a legal course against motorists who are found using fake number plates,” he stressed.

Col Murded said “In order to ensure the success of the drive, our men will also be using cars that carry private number plates so as not to be identified by those who try to evade them,” he said.