A complete overhaul of the UAE’s visitors laws has come into drive, with Federal Decree-Legislation No. 14 of 2024 formally enacted on March 29. The up to date regulation introduces stricter provisions for driving eligibility, licence suspension, car impoundment, and driver arrest—all aimed toward bettering highway security and supporting the nation’s good transport imaginative and prescient.
Decrease Driving Age, Stricter Oversight
One of the vital notable adjustments is the discount of the minimal driving age to 17. Candidates should nonetheless meet medical and health requirements, and licensing authorities now have broader powers to droop, revoke, or deny renewal of a licence if a driver is deemed unfit—both bodily, mentally, or on grounds of public security.Driving instruction can also be underneath tighter management. Solely licensed instructors with legitimate permits might practice others, they usually should not permit trainees to drive in populated areas except they’re assured of the trainee’s capability to function the car safely.
Arrest Powers Expanded
Article 31 of the brand new regulation outlines six situations the place visitors officers can arrest a driver on the spot. These embody:
- Inflicting loss of life or harm whereas driving
- Inflicting main harm to property
- Driving drunk, medicine, or comparable substances
- Reckless or harmful driving
- Refusal to supply correct private particulars or submitting false paperwork
- Fleeing the scene of an accident or evading a police order to cease
These provisions are supposed to handle critical breaches of visitors security and guarantee speedy authorized accountability.
When Automobiles Can Be Impounded
Article 32 grants visitors authorities the best to impound automobiles in particular conditions, together with:
- The car is unfit for highway use on account of lacking important options comparable to brakes, lights, quantity plates, or silencers
- An individual is caught driving and not using a legitimate licence on two events
- An unlicensed particular person is driving the car, except exempt
- The car has undergone unauthorised modifications with out approval from the licensing authority
- The car is linked to an ongoing legal investigation and required as proof
- Some other scenario specified by the chief rules of the regulation
In circumstances of technical defects, the car might solely be transported to a restore facility by tow truck or authorised service.
Licence Suspension and Medical Health
The regulation strengthens the hyperlink between highway security and driver well being. Licensing authorities at the moment are empowered to behave on medical studies or behavioural assessments to droop or deny licences. Drivers may additionally face reassessment or obligatory rehabilitation programmes.‘Unfitness to drive’ is broadly outlined and will embody situations affecting bodily coordination, psychological stability, or previous legal conduct that poses a threat to public security.
Supporting a Smarter Transport System
The brand new authorized framework is not only about penalties. It additionally modernises rules in keeping with technological developments, together with revised car classifications and provisions for integrating clever transport methods. These adjustments help the UAE’s broader goal of constructing a protected, environment friendly, and forward-looking highway community.By tightening enforcement and updating outdated guidelines, the UAE hopes to scale back accidents, encourage accountable driving, and preserve its momentum as a worldwide chief in transport innovation.
