Dubai Motorist Told to Pay Dh7,500 After Court Rejects Traffic Fines Dispute

Dubai civil court has ordered a motorist to pay Dh7,500 to a vehicle owner after holding him responsible for traffic fines and Salik toll charges accumulated while the car was in his possession.

The court also directed the defendant to bear court fees and expenses. However, it rejected the vehicle owner’s separate claim seeking Dh15,000 in compensation for the alleged reduction in the car’s market value and dismissed a request to transfer 35 black traffic points to the defendant’s traffic record.

According to court documents, the dispute stemmed from an alleged verbal agreement between the registered owner and the defendant for the sale of the vehicle. Under the arrangement, the defendant was reportedly expected to clear all traffic fines linked to the car and transfer ownership of a damaged vehicle wreck in return for receiving ownership of the vehicle.

The owner told the court that he handed over the car based on mutual trust and a personal relationship between the parties. The defendant subsequently took possession of the vehicle and used it regularly. However, the claimant alleged that the defendant failed to fulfil his obligations by neither settling the fines nor transferring the wrecked vehicle as agreed.

Court records showed that despite repeated efforts by the owner to complete the official ownership transfer, the defendant allegedly refused to cooperate. During the period the vehicle remained under the defendant’s control, additional traffic fines and Salik toll charges amounting to Dh16,050, along with 35 black points, were recorded against the vehicle.

The claimant argued that because the car remained registered in his name, he suffered direct financial losses arising from traffic violations and alleged accidents committed while the defendant was driving the vehicle. He also sought compensation for what he claimed was a decline in the car’s resale value.

To support his case, the owner submitted copies of the vehicle registration, traffic violation records, and WhatsApp conversations exchanged between the parties.

The defendant failed to appear before the court despite being legally notified, prompting the court to issue its ruling in absentia.

In its judgment, the court referred to provisions of the UAE Civil Transactions Law, which state that any person causing harm to another is liable for compensation. The court noted that civil liability requires proof of fault, damage, and a direct causal connection between them.

The court found that the defendant had actual possession of the vehicle and had acknowledged in WhatsApp messages that he would settle the violations. It considered this sufficient evidence to establish liability for the traffic fines and Salik charges incurred during that period.

However, after assessing the evidence, the court ruled that the proven financial loss amounted to Dh7,500 and ordered the defendant to pay that amount to the claimant.

The court rejected the separate Dh15,000 compensation claim, ruling that the claimant had failed to provide sufficient proof of the alleged accidents or the claimed depreciation in the vehicle’s value.

It also dismissed the request to transfer the traffic violations and black points to the defendant’s traffic file, explaining that such violations remain legally attached to the registered owner recorded with the licensing authority at the time the offences are committed and cannot be reassigned retroactively.

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