Discounts on traffic fines self-defeating

Either the financial penalties imposed on traffic offenders are not stiff enough to influence the behaviour of some more affluent drivers, or some people are simply criminally reckless regardless

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Even the best intentions can come back to haunt us, and sometimes in tragic circumstances.

In September, Dubai police announced a discount period for traffic fines aimed at encouraging drivers to pay off accumulating penalties. The initial discount of 30 per cent was then raised to 40 per cent in December. In retrospect, it was an experiment that has been characterised by failure.

As The National reported on Friday, 46 people died on Dubai's roads during the discount period, an increase of 28 per cent on the same period the year before. While there surely are also other reasons for the rise in fatalities, the direct correlation with the discount scheme is an indication that a seemingly generous offer ultimately worked against itself. It certainly did not encourage greater awareness among motorists.

As with a similar initiative covering Sharjah and Ajman, offenders were willing to wait in long queues to take advantage of the discounts, but there were no perceptible improvements in driving habits.

This step back in terms of traffic fatalities is even more disappointing given recent gains in the other direction. A nationwide traffic-safety campaign, supported by this newspaper, had seen fatalities on the Emirates' motorways decline since 2009.

Even before the implementation of the amnesty, it was apparent that many of the worst traffic offenders would not be deterred by fines in any event. Either the financial penalties are not stiff enough to influence the behaviour of some more affluent drivers, or some people are simply criminally reckless regardless.

The intent of the discounts was good: encourage compliance with the law and get motorists to settle their accounts. But the law of unintended consequences came into play. "When we reduced traffic fines, many people saw it as an opportunity to commit more traffic offences, and they came to think that we did not care," said Maj Gen Mohammed Saif Al Zafein, Dubai's traffic police chief.

The scheme has now, quite rightly, seen its last days. It was one plan that went awry, but in the trial-and-error process there is a lesson. Many motorists are indeed influenced by fines, and harsher penalties may paradoxically be doing them a favour.