Dubai’s population has been progressively growing, reaching nearly 3.653 million in December 2023. This has led to more vehicles on the road – 3.9 million as of September 2023, as per the emirate’s toll gate operator Salik. These vehicles made 437 million trips during the first 9 months of 2023 through the Salik gates.
In response to the growing traffic, Dubai Police run road safety campaigns time and again to raise awareness among motorists. To ensure the safety of residents and pedestrians, police have put in place three types of penalties – fines, black points, and vehicle confiscation – for violating traffic laws of the emirate. Vehicles are confiscated for serious violations, ranging between 7 days to 90 days. The new traffic rules introduced stricter penalties related to traffic violations and the impoundment of vehicles.
Below is the list of violations listed by Dubai Police which could result in your vehicles being confiscated:
| No | Violation | Duration |
| 1 | Driving a vehicle without a number plate | 90 days |
| 2 | Using three-wheel or more leisure bike on the road | 90 days |
| 3 | Driving in a way that poses danger to the driver’s life or lives, and the safety of others | 60 days |
| 4 | Driving in a way that poses danger to the drivers life or lives, and the safety of others | 60 days |
| 5 | Driving in a way that harms public or private properties | 60 days |
| 6 | Driving under the influence of alcohol | 60 days |
| 7 | Diving under the influence of narcotic, psychotropic or similar substances | 60 days |
| 8 | Causing the deaths of others | 60 days |
| 9 | Failure of a heavy vehicle driver to stop after causing a minor accident | 60 days |
| 10 | Causing a serious accident or injuries | 30 days |
| 11 | Jumping a red signal by vehicles | 30 days |
| 12 | Jumping a red signal by motorbikes | 30 days |
| 13 | Exceeding the maximum speed limit by more than 60kmph | 30 days |
| 14 | Exceeding the maximum speed limit by more than 80kmph | 30 days |
| 15 | Running away from the policeman | 30 days |
| 16 | Not giving way to emergency, police and public services vehicles or official convoys | 30 days |
| 17 | Modifying engine or chassis without permission | 30 days |
| 18 | Transporting passengers illegally | 30 days |
| 19 | Transporting inflammable or hazardous materials without permission | 30 days |
| 20 | Not exceeding the maximum speed limit by more than 60kmph | 15 days |
| 21 | Participating in a motorcade without permission | 15 days |
| 22 | Expired tyres | 7 days |
| 23 | Exceeding the passenger limit by a passenger transport vehicle | 7 days |
| 24 | Driving a car against traffic | 7 days |
| 25 | Driving a vehicle without insurance | 7 days |
| 26 | Driving an unlicensed vehicle | 7 days |
| 27 | Failure of a light vehicle driver to stop after causing a minor accident | 7 days |
| 28 | Illegal use of commercial number plates | 7 days |
