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New drivers in UAE may get only two-year permits

Ajman - Great efforts are being made to upgrade legislations to minimisethe number of fatal accidents in all parts of the country.

The Ministry of Interior is studying the possibility of issuing a two-year driving permit to new drivers of all ages, Brigadier Ghaith Hassan Al Zaabi, Director of the Traffic Coordination Department, said on Tuesday.
Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidleines of the Traffic Safety Forum organised by Ajman Police, the Brigadier said the ministry is considering implementing it in all the emirates. Great efforts are being made to upgrade legislations to contribute in minimising the number of fatal accidents in all parts of the country.
Al Zaabi added that currently, drivers aged 18-21 are given a probationary licence by the traffic departments of all emirates in the country. If a person has never driven before nor has a driving licence from a list of approved 36 countries, then training is mandatory. If the study's results are implemented, all new drivers will start off with a two-year driving permit or probationary licence.
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Meanwhile, Brigadier Shaikh Sultan Al Nuaimi, Commander-in-Chief of Ajman Police, said that the force is taking stringent measures to reduce fatal accidents in the emirate. "Our priority is to reduce traffic accident deaths to zero in 2017," he said.
Crucially, fatal accidents are mostly caused by new drivers and youngsters aged 18-30, who are more likely to not follow road speed limits.
As part of the Ministry of Interior move, Ajman Police will continue the inspections targeting reckless drivers, red light jumpers and speeding drivers in the emirate. Red light violators will have their cars confiscated and forced to pay the fines immediately, instead of a delayed payment option at the time of car registration renewal.
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This comes after the observation that many motorists who commit traffic offences and accumulate violations, wait to pay fines at the time of registration. In fact, one driver was recently apprehended with 70 black points, instead of the cut-off 24 points at which the driving licence is revoked. The new fine paying mechanism will put an end to these instances, the police say.
Brig Al Nuaimi also stressed that Ajman Police will have a no-tolerance policy on traffic violators.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com