You soon won't get 50 per cent off your traffic fine

Bad news, Abu Dhabi drivers – you will no longer be able to half your traffic fines as of next month.

Local police are halting the discount in a bid to promote road safety and reduce the number of accidents.

The new rule will come into force from August 1, although motorists handed fines before that date can still qualify for 50 per cent off.

Abu Dhabi police have been considering whether to abolish the discount, which was first launched in 2010, since May of this year.

On Sunday, the police confirmed in a statement that drivers will have to pay the full penalty as part of a campaign to make the city’s roads safer.

The statement said the decision was made following a “thorough and in-depth” study of traffic safety measures, which also showed that accidents in the emirate are most often caused by speeding and drivers ignoring road rules.

According to The National, the number of road traffic accidents in Abu Dhabi stands at 489 so far this year, compared to 477 during the same period last year. Around 76 people have been injured as a result of such accidents this year alone.

The Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 hopes to cut the number of fatalities from traffic accidents to an average of 5 per cent per 100,000 people.

Police stated that the removal of the discount was not a revenue-grabbing move.