Sudden swerving and dangerous driving now are offenses as well. Carrying and transporting passengers illegally (without taxi permit) is now a 1,000 dhs fine ($270 USD). The UAE government has been trying to rid the UAE of 'private taxis' who loiter at shopping centres and airports, charging less than taxis to take people to their final destination. ‘Crowding’ during accidents, which is inappropriately stopping to observe or entering into a discussion with those involved in the accident will mean a Dhs1,000 fine and 6 black points. Driving a noisy vehicle or causing excessive noise disturbance has a Dhs2,000 fine and 6 black points, which is something many other countries should implement in my opinion.
In addition to fines, the UAE has also implemented a black points system. Impounding vehicles for 60 days as a result of major traffic offences such as driving 80kmh over the speed limit or drunk driving is also new.
Overall, the traffic laws are designed to make the roads much safer in the UAE. For anyone that has driven in the Middle East or the UAE knows these rules are very much needed. I drove over 25,000km my first year in the UAE and can say I saw a lot of crazy things on the road. Hopefully these new laws will make a major difference for safer driving conditions in the UAE.
(Please note that driving under the influence of alcohol or any other drug is a MAJOR offense in the UAE and will either result in jail time and deportation afterwards, or if you are very lucky a large fine and immediate deportation.)