Black Points, Driving in Abu Dhabi

The following 'black points' information is not created for legal purposes but is an interpretation of how the system works and may have inaccuracies.

It's is YOUR responsibility to learn, understand and adhere to the local legal requirements when driving in the UAE. See here for more information on Abu Dhabi or Dubai.

What are Black Points?

Simply, they are the demerit points a driver gets against their license/vehicle that can cummulatively lead to vehicle impoundment, loss of license, or in the worst case, incarceration.

The Abu Dhabi and Dubai Police have a 'black points table' that lists the offense, fine and points associated to the various driving violations.

There are currently 147 listed violations, however the table is routinely updated to reflect the increasing effort of the UAE police to clamp down on dangerous driving so it is best to check the most up to date version.

Traffic points accummulated in 12 months (that do not reach the limit of 24) are taken away and deleted annually.

It is possible to have 8 points removed by completing a Traffic Department endorsed driving course.

If you reach the points limit (24)

If the limit of 24 is reached within 12 months, the following penalties are applied

The driving license is confiscated for 3 months of the first traffic violation.
The driving license is confiscated for 6 months of the second traffic violation.
The driving license is confiscated for a year and is not return until the driver passes a driving course at a driving school signed by the authority of the third traffic violation.

If the driver is on a temporary driving license (under probation)

The driving license is confiscated for six months and is not returned until the driver passes a rehabilitation course at a driving school.
If the accumulated limit has been repeated during probation, the driving license is cancelled a twelve month test ban is put in place.

Useful violation terms to know

Yellow Box - The area marked yellow in crossing with light signals.
Traffic Points - A number of points are fixed and the violated driver takes them against traffic violations according to the schdule (black points table) from the date of violation.
Accumulated Limit - When traffic points reach to twenty four (24) during a time period not exceeding one year.
Racing - When two persons or more are racing on roads without traffic permission.
Traffic Violation Record - It is the registration book where the traffic violations are written, dates and the number of points against each violation.
Repetition - The accumulation limit exceeds more than once during the year.

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