Abu Dhabi impose strict new penalties for under-21 drivers: 6-month suspension or everlasting licence loss | World Information

Probationary drivers below 21 who attain 24 factors twice lose their licence and should wait a 12 months to reapply/Consultant Picture

Abu Dhabi Police have detailed the entire framework for dealing with site visitors black factors, licence suspensions, and rehabilitation choices for drivers, notably highlighting stricter laws for motorists below the age of 21 who maintain probationary licences. The excellent clarification was delivered by Lieutenant Colonel Saeed Khalfan Al Kaabi, from the Visitors Factors Program Part on the Police Comply with-up and Aftercare Division, throughout an look on the ‘Amn wa Aman’ (Security and Safety) programme, broadcast by Abu Dhabi Police and reported by Emarat Al Youm. The newest advisory outlines how site visitors factors are assigned, what thresholds set off suspension or cancellation, and the steps motorists can take to recuperate their licences or scale back black factors. It additionally introduces an ongoing initiative geared toward educating drivers and reinforcing safer street practices throughout the emirate.

Understanding the site visitors Black Factors System

The black factors system, formally often called site visitors factors, is a part of the UAE’s Federal Visitors Legislation framework, created to discourage unsafe driving and promote compliance. Every site visitors offence carries a set variety of factors in accordance with its severity, from violations reminiscent of dashing, tailgating, or utilizing a cellphone whereas driving, to extra severe offences like working a crimson mild or endangering lives.Below the Federal Visitors Legislation and its govt laws, these black factors stay on a driver’s file for one 12 months earlier than being cleared, supplied the entire doesn’t exceed 24 factors at anyone time. Reaching or surpassing this restrict may end up in short-term suspension or full revocation of the driving licence, relying on the case. Every violation carries a particular variety of factors relying on its severity. For instance:

If a driver accumulates 24 factors inside a 12 months, their driving licence is both suspended or revoked, relying on the kind of licence held and whether or not the offence is a repeat incidence. Al Kaabi emphasised that these guidelines goal to not punish however to encourage accountable behaviour on the street. Drivers who attain the restrict should bear corrective measures earlier than regaining their driving privileges.

Probationary drivers below 21: Stricter measures

Drivers below the age of 21, holding probationary licences, face extra stringent penalties upon reaching the cumulative restrict of 24 site visitors factors. In response to Al Kaabi, such drivers have two selections:

If the identical probationary driver once more reaches the cumulative 24-point restrict through the trial interval, their licence is cancelled solely. They’re then barred from making use of for a brand new driving licence for one full 12 months from the date of cancellation. Al Kaabi reiterated that the repeated accumulation of factors displays unsafe driving patterns and that the cancellation measure goals to stop recurring offenders from endangering public security.

Guidelines for everlasting licence holders (Aged 21 and above)

Motorists aged 21 or older, who maintain everlasting driving licences, are topic to barely completely different penalties below the identical legislation. When such drivers first attain the cumulative restrict of 24 factors, they will both:

Nonetheless, if the identical motorist once more accumulates 24 factors inside lower than a 12 months of the primary violation, their licence might be suspended for six months. To recuperate it, they need to once more attend the rehabilitation course and pay AED 2,400. These provisions apply equally to all everlasting licence holders throughout the emirate, reinforcing the significance of constant compliance with site visitors legal guidelines.

Rehabilitation and discount programmes for violating drivers

Past licence suspension and restoration, Abu Dhabi Police additionally present companies for drivers in search of to scale back their black factors earlier than reaching the 24-point threshold. As defined by Al Kaabi on the ‘Security and Safety’ programme, motorists with between 8 and 23 site visitors factors on their file can voluntarily enrol in a site visitors factors discount course. This optionally available programme permits eligible drivers to deduct eight site visitors factors from their whole. To qualify, individuals should:

The course focuses on elevating consciousness about secure driving behaviour, explaining how the black factors system works, and highlighting the results of repeated offences. It additionally consists of discussions on real-world case research of frequent violations recorded by digital surveillance programs. Two principal rehabilitation programmes can be found:

Al Kaabi clarified that each initiatives goal to teach drivers somewhat than merely penalise them, fostering a tradition of shared duty on the street.

The place and when to register for programs

Purposes and attendance for these rehabilitation and discount companies might be accomplished at a number of devoted centres operated by Abu Dhabi Police, together with:

Registration usually runs from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., and drivers should first be certain that their site visitors factors are accurately mirrored of their data earlier than making use of. Moreover, a particular initiative launched by Abu Dhabi Police runs from 20 October to twenty November 2025, working day by day from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on the Mushrif Mall Centre (first ground, Police platform). This month-long programme permits motorists to both scale back their black factors or reinstate a suspended licence via in-person classes. The method entails:

There isn’t any on-line registration or digital participation choice for these programs; bodily attendance is necessary to make sure individuals interact instantly with instructors and profit from interactive coaching.

A name for safer driving and shared duty

Concluding his handle, Lieutenant Colonel Saeed Khalfan Al Kaabi urged all drivers to be companions in selling street security, emphasising that “security is everybody’s duty”. He known as on motorists to stick strictly to site visitors laws, keep away from violations that accumulate black factors, and act as position fashions in compliance and consciousness. He underscored that the black factors system and its accompanying rehabilitation measures should not purely punitive however designed to reform driving behaviour, scale back accident dangers, and instil an enduring tradition of duty on the roads of Abu Dhabi.