Cars behind bars, Dubai

13 January 2012 - In Dubai, you cannot renew your car registration if you have any outstanding fines. When it was time for me to carry out this routine piece of administration, I was refused.

Apparently, I had driven through a red traffic light several months earlier. They would not issue me with my registration until the fine was settled. This I did by going straight to the relevant bureau, but still they would not renew my registration. I couldn’t understand it. Fortunately, I was able to find someone to translate the letter I had received in Arabic. It said that my car had to be impounded officially for a week, but because I had committed the offence before they had come up with this new rule, it only had to be confined for three days. So there it sat, locked up behind bars like a common criminal. Fortunately, it was returned to me without any further hassle three days later...