The United Arab Emirates is renowned for the exquisite range of amenities it provides to the citizenry. But the quality of the same is to be maintained by a set of stringent yet apposite regulations to curb the occurrence of discrepancies in resource distribution and further the objectives of growth. Such is also the case with the road networking system of the country which occupied the seventh position in the road quality index according to the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum in 2019.

To sustain the eminence of the same road network, the government initiated a black point system. The provisions of Ministerial Resolution No. 178 for the year 2017 on Rules and Procedures of Traffic control lay out the working of the black point system. The amended traffic law came into effect in July 2017 which aimed to protect the lives of road users and reduce traffic casualties from 6 per 100,000 people to its half as per Vision 2021 of the UAE government.  

Black points act as negative points that are attached to one’s driving license which works to disincentive traffic violations. Black points also invite penalties, fines, license suspension, and sometimes even vehicle confiscation with respect to the seriousness of the offense.  Upon the commission of a violation, the monitoring radars, and surveillance cameras come into action. The Police then add the black points to the driver’s file and the notification of the same is sent to the driver within a span of 48 hours via SMS. Each type of violation has a specific number of black points associated with the same; upon the commission of which, it invites a specific amount of penalty and vehicle confiscation (if applicable).

The system attaches black points ranging from 4 to 24 points given the graveness of violation. If the points reach the peak of 24 black points, then the license of the driver is suspended for a span of 3 months. Upon the second accumulation of 24 points, the suspension is for a period of 6 months and upon the third accumulation, the license of the driver is suspended for a span of 1 year which calls for a retaking of driving lessons and test from an authorized driving school. The maximum number of points an offense can invite is 24 and the lowest is 2 points. The points are renewed each year so to give a new slate to the licensees each year. The offenses can range from speeding, causing grievous harm, accidents, driving under influence, or even lacking seatbelts. One can find a series of violations in the ministerial document itself.

One can also avail the opportunity to reduce their accumulation of black points by availing the black point reduction courses that are offered by traffic departments and even some driving schools. One should also be on the lookout for special occasions like Eid and Ramadan since these times invite the police departments to allow discounts on traffic fines.

Though the nexus of repercussions look daunting at first glance, such pertinent steps ensure the smooth functioning of the road network system. A new driver can take the aid of apps like Ekar, UDrive, Cafu, and even RTA Smart Drive to navigate through the road networks of the country. But one must be cautious and alert enough to not summon such legal repercussions. Even if one does so, the aforesaid redressal mechanisms can come to the rescue. Safe driving!

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