The Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Road in Abu Dhabi now has a minimum speed limit enforced by a fine. While minimum speed requirements were already present on certain roads in the UAE, this is the first time it is being legally enforced by the government. Motorists driving below 120km/h will have to shell out AED 400 as a fine.
The UAE boasts one of the most advanced road transport networks in the world. Every single road is well-marked and the highways are really wide. Most drivers in the UAE follow the rules and regulations and those who don’t end up paying massive fines. Drivers in the UAE are generally considered among the most capable drivers in the world thanks to its difficult-to-obtain driving license.
As a consequence of the aforementioned results, the UAE has the highest posted speed limit in the world. Some Emirate Highways have a speed limit of 160km/h! This certainly allows motorists to complete their journey faster. Now, the UAE has become one of the very few countries in the world to enforce a minimum speed limit with a fine.
The maximum speed limit on the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Road in Abu Dhabi is 140km/h. This is applicable to light motor vehicles/passenger cars traveling on all lanes of the Major UAE highway. Trucks will have to stick to the right lane with a speed limit of 80km/h imposed on them.
The first and second lanes from the left now have a minimum speed limit of 120km/h! Failing to maintain the required speed will result in a fine. Enforcement of this rule actually began on 01 April 2023. However, offenders were only given a warning in the month of April. Starting 01 May 2023, failure to meet the minimum speed requirements will result in an AED 400 fine.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Road is one of the longest highways in the UAE. Officially known as Highway E311, it stretches from the Emirates Roundabout in Ras Al Khaimah until the Al Falah intersection in Abu Dhabi.
With a total length of 200 kilometres, the highway goes through Ajman, Sharjah, and Dubai before entering Abu Dhabi. In the first four Emirates, it is known as the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. As soon as it enters Abu Dhabi, it is called Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Road. While the maximum speed limit of 140 kilometres per hour is uniform across the entire length of the highway, the minimum speed limit is currently being enforced with a fine only in Abu Dhabi.
An online poll by the Abu Dhabi Police has found that over 78 percent of all those who took part in the poll are in favour of the enforcement. While the remainder think it could be a safety hazard with everyone on those lanes driving at high speeds.
Major General Ahmed Saif bin Zaitoun Al Muhairi, Director of the Central Operations Sector, stated that the aim of activating the minimum speed is to enhance the safety of drivers, to oblige slow vehicles to drive on the right lanes, and to always give way to vehicles with preference coming from behind or from the left.
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