Dubai seizes 81 vehicles in crackdown on street racing

Dubai police have seized 81 vehicles for alleged “reckless driving,” the authorities said, in a crackdown on street racing among youths in the wealthy Gulf emirate.

The vehicles were impounded for being driven at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour), and without number plates.

“Dubai traffic patrols tracked a number of reckless drivers and seized 81 vehicles,” Dubai police commander-in-chief Major General Khamis al-Muzainah said in a statement Saturday, without specifying over what period these seizures were made. Among the other allegations they face is driving without headlights switched on, according to media reports.

“Motorists who participate in racing without permission will have to pay a 100,000 dirham ($27,000) fine to release the confiscated vehicle, while owners of seized bikes will need to pay a 50,000 dirham ($13,600) fine,” said the Khaleej Times newspaper.

By law, police can sell the seized cars if their owners did not approach the police within three months from the date of confiscation, the daily added. The Roads and Transport Authority said last year that the number of vehicles in Dubai had doubled in the past eight years giving the emirate more cars per person than New York or London.