Hard shoulder hazard: Overtaking fools risk lives and Dh1,000 fines

• Overtaking from the hard shoulder in the UAE is illegal.
• Violators will face a Dh1,000 fine and six black points.
• The hard shoulder is reserved for emergency vehicles.

In addition to being extremely risky, overtaking from a hard shoulder is a serious traffic infraction. According to Article 42 of the UAE Federal Traffic Law, violators face a Dh1,000 fine and six black points.

Few drivers openly disregard traffic laws by recklessly overtaking, endangering their own lives as well as the lives of other drivers, despite several warnings from various agencies in the United Arab Emirates.

The Abu Dhabi Police released a video on Friday, January 5, which demonstrated the infraction of overtaking from the shoulder of the road.

One SUV was seen in the video from one of the emirate's traffic cameras overtaking other cars in the left-most lane and using the hard shoulder. Every other vehicle was seen braking to allow the SUV to pass; if other drivers hadn't been alert, this could have turned into a dangerous situation. Another 4WD was seen passing without keeping a safe distance and driving perilously near other vehicles.

The law enforcement organization underscored that the road's shoulder is reserved only for emergency vehicles, allowing for quick access to accident scenes for prompt aid, medical attention for injured parties, and possibly even life-saving measures.

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