Speed limits in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, UAE

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Speed limits and speeding tickets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, UAE

Speed limits and fines in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and other UAE emirates. List of speeding ticket amounts, new speed limits in Abu Dhabi in 2018. Speed limits are generally 100-120 kmh on major highways, 60-100 kmh on main roads, and 40-80 kmh on secondary roads. Penalties for breaking speed limits are federal and apply to all of the UAE: Abu Dhabi (includes Al Ain city), Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain (UAQ). Actual fines are issued by each emirate and payable in each emirate.

In 2018 there was a significant change in how the limits were applied, the emirate of Abu Dhabi removed the 20 km/h buffer on all speed limits, meaning that motorists would be fined for going 1 km/h over any posted limit, while in the remainder of the UAE, fines continued to be applied only for speeds in excess of 20 km/h over the posted limit ... until other emirates possibly decide to follow in Abu Dhabi's footsteps.

List of speed limits in the UAE

Speed limits in the UAE for light vehicles
Road or area	Posted limit	Notes
School buses if the Stop sign is extended	0 km/h	Wait until Stop sign withdrawn
Parking areas and service roads	25 km/h	Dubai RTA information
Suburban community internal roads	25 to 40 km/h
Main roads dividing communities	50, 60, 70, 80 km/h
Main roads but not motorways ('D' roads)	80, 100, 110 km/h
Motorway junction entry and exit roads	60 km/h	Watch out for radar traps set to lower than motorway speed.
Major highways or motorways ('E' roads)	80, 100, 110, 120, 140, 160 km/h
Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Rd (E11)	160 km/h	Previously Mafraq-Ghuweifat Rd, renamed Jan 2018
Al Ain-Abu Dhabi Rd (E22)	160 km/h
Fog, other bad weather	variable, 50, 80kph	Enforced more strictly in Abu Dhabi in 2018 and 2019, radars reset.
Variable Message Signs (VMS)	as posted	Usually on D or E roads, overrule normally posted limits.

In 2019, Abu Dhabi started more strict enforcement of lower speed limits during periods of low visibility by adjusting the radars on highways to trigger at the lower speed limits posted on overhead noticeboards. Some drivers who sped up when foggy patches cleared got clocked for an over speeding ticket if the radars had not yet been set back to clear-weather speed limits.
Highest posted speed limit in the UAE is 160 km/h on two highways in Abu Dhabi emirate: the new (in Jan 2018) motorway between Abu Dhabi city and the border with Saudi Arabia, and the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain highway.
Major highways in the UAE are often called "roads" e.g. Sheikh Zayed Rd in Dubai, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Rd in Abu Dhabi.
Speed limit for trucks and other heavy goods vehicles on major highways is 80 km/h. Speed limits for buses is 100 km/h.
Minibuses supposedly have speed limiters fitted, set to 100 km/h (mandatory since 2013) but many road users wonder if they are faulty.
Speed limits on 2 major Dubai highways reduced from 120 kph to 110 kph in Oct 2017, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Rd (E311) and Emirates Road (E611) in Dubai. Radar triggered at 131 kph instead of 141 kph.

Speed limits on roads in Dubai

Dubai roads speed limit information section removed from Dubai road names.

Highways and motorways maximum speed limits are usually 100-120 kph. Jebel Ali-Lehbab has sections at 60 kph, Financial Center Rd Upper Deck was 60 kph (might be 80 kph now).
Main roads in Dubai city limits are usually 70-80 kph. Some are 90 kph. Al Sufouh Rd is 60 kph. Hessa St is or was 60 kph.
Suburban roads within community areas usually have a 40 kph limit.
MBZ Rd and Emirates Rd limit changed from 120 km/h to 110 km/h on 15 Oct 2017. Gulf News reported that after 6 months the new speed limits would be reviewed, with the possibility of being reverted back to 120 km/h.

[Update, no speed limit grace or buffer in Abu Dhabi emirate from 2018] Speed cameras and radars

Most main roads and highways in Dubai and UAE have speed cameras. They are usually set to go off at posted speed limit plus grace limit of 20 kph i.e. if posted limit is 100 kph then camera will trigger or flash you at > 120 kph (121 kph or higher). Some sign posts will say radar limit or maximum permitted speed as speed limit + 20 kph, for example the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway will say 140 kph. This does not mean you can travel at up to 160 kph, the speed cameras will still go off at 141 kph or more.
- If you get flashed by a speed camera, your fine will depend on how much faster you are traveling than the actual speed limit, not the radar limit. For example 150 kph on the Abu Dhabi highway means you get a fine for breaking the speed limit (overspeeding) by 30 kph, not by 10 kph.
- There are fine amounts set for breaking the speed limit by less than 20 kph. The grace limit is for the fixed speed cameras. Police cars also have speed detectors, and moveable speed cameras, for which the trigger can be set at any speed.

List of speeding fines and tickets in the UAE 2017, 2018, 2019

2017 data reference: Ministerial Resolution No. 178 for the year 2017.
2008 data in brackets.

Speeding tickets and fines for UAE from 01 Jul 2017
Item	Description	Fine (AED) or court decision	Black points	Vehicle confiscation period (days)
1 (1)	a. Driving a vehicle in a way that jeopardizes the driver or others' lives or their safety or security b. Driving a vehicle in a way that may cause damage to the public and private facilities 2008 law said "Driving dangerously (racing)"	2000 ()	23 (12)	60 days (30)
28 (132)	Fine for driving below the speed limit, if set	400 (200)
34 (7)	Exceeding speed limit by more than 80 km/hr	3000 (1000)	23	60
35 (7)	Exceeding speed limit by 60-80 km/h	2000 (1000)	12 (12)	30 (30)
36 (14)	Exceeding speed limit by 50-60 km/hour	1500 (900)	6 (6)	15 (0)
37 (15)	Exceeding speed limit by 40-50 km/hour	1000 (800)
38 (22)	Exceeding speed limit by 30-40 km/hour	700 (700)
39 (24)	Exceeding speed limit by 20-30 km/hour	600 (600)
40 (30)	Exceeding speed limit by 1-20 km/hour	300 (500)

	2008 speeding ticket amounts for reference
1	Driving dangerously (racing)	2000	12	30 days
7	Exceeding maximum speed limit by more than 60km/h	1000	12	30 days
14	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 60km/h	900	6
15	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 50km/h	800
22	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 40km/h	700
24	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 30km/h	600
30	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 20km/h	500
56	Exceeding maximum speed limit by not more than 10km/h	400
132	Driving below minimum speed limit	200

	1995 speeding ticket amounts for reference
12	Excess Speed (detected by Radar)	200
13	Driving below minimum speed limit for roads.	100

Driving excessively fast can attract a penalty for dangerous driving. How that is determined depends on the police and other legal authorities, but chances are, if a motorist has an accident at high speed and the police can find a way to blame the high speed driving for the accident, there is an increased chance of being penalized for dangerous driving.
[Check] From 2008 to 2017, it appears that the fine was reduced for speeding by less than 20 km/hour over the posted limit, from AED 500 to AED 300. Is correct or a typo?
Black points for speeding offences are handed out if driving more than 50 km/hr above the posted limit (6, 12, or 23 points depending on how much faster). Collecting 24 points in a year means loss of driving licence.
Until the law changed in 2008, the UAE was a comparatively cheap place to drive fast, tickets for speeding fines were AED 200 per radar flash irrespective of how fast the driver was going.

Other speed limit and speeding fine news and information

New speed limits in Abu Dhabi in 2018 but not the rest of the UAE

[No longer valid in Abu Dhabi emirate] Posted speed limits are maximum speeds in the UAE, however, there is an automatic grace limit or buffer zone of 20 kph meaning that no speeding tickets are issued unless the speed limit violation is at least 20kph over the limit. This does not mean that the speed limit is +20 km/h from the posted limit, it means that you will not be issued a speeding fine if driving 0-20 km/h over the posted limit. A bit confusingly though, sometimes signs show a picture of a radar camera and say "Maximum Speed Limit" as the actual limit + the 20kph buffer, e.g. common on major highways with a limit of 120kph but the radar sign says 140kph (expect a speeding ticking if you exceed 140 kph).
This is why your speeding ticket is a minimum of AED 600 not AED 300. You'll get it for doing e.g. 101 km/h in an 80 km/h zone, which is not 1 km/h over the limit (which would be a fine of AED 300), but 21 km/h over the limit (which is a fine of AED 600). See table of speed limits and fines, rules 39 and 40.
In Abu Dhabi emirate this 20kph buffer was removed from 12 Aug 2018, meaning that the indicated limit really is the maximum speed permitted with no tolerance for going over it. The good news is that Abu Dhabi Police increased the speed limits on some roads in the emirate by 20kph, and changed the speed limit signs. Allegedly. Mind the gap. Don't assume that whatever was the previous posted speed limit is now the same+20kph, it's possible there were other changes, so check the signs, and follow the lower one if you see any conflict.
The actual speeding fine rules and penalties in Abu Dhabi are still the same as the new rules in 2017, what has changed is the speed limits and the removal of the 20 kph buffer. Confusingly, a number of news sources had headlines saying that speeding fines in Abu Dhabi had halved or been reduced by 50%. That's not correct, what happened is that with the removal of the speed buffer, drivers will be be fined under rule 39, which is a fine of AED 300 if over speeding by less than 20 kph. Drivers going more than 20 kph over the limit will still be fined AED 600 or more, same as prior to the speed buffer removal.
Drivers on the main Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway (E11) wondering where the border is between the two emirates, it's when the color of the road changes to a slightly reddish color in Abu Dhabi, and there are more trees along the Abu Dhabi section of the road.

Minimum speed limits

On motorways (freeways, highways, autobahns, etc) there is often a posted minimum speed limit of 60 km/h (round blue sign with white numbers).

In Jun 2014 and Feb 2016 there were reports that the UAE Federal Traffic Council proposed an increase of the minimum speed limit from 60kph to 100 kph (not for trucks or buses) on some highways. No further news seen since then. Reference: Arabian Business or 7 Days, original source not found.

"Speed limit" vs "Maximum speed limit"

The posted limit (round sign, white with red border) is the "speed limit". In the UAE that means the legal maximum permitted speed. But in emirates other than Abu Dhabi (as of 2018), the radar cameras are set to trigger at the "speed limit" + 21 km/hr.
So on some roads (usually major highways) it is common to see signs saying "maximum speed limit" (large square or rectangular sign with a picture of a camera and other symbols for cars, trucks, buses). This is the "speed limit" + 20kph calculation done for you. Don't make the mistake of adding another 20 kph to the "maximum speed limit", you'll trigger the radar flash.

Al Mafraq - Al Ghuwaifat international highway speed limits

2018 Jun: Speed limit reduced to 120 kph on one section for 6 months during road works. Radar set to trigger at 121 kph.
2018 Jan 24: Speed limit increased to 160 km/h on the new road. Radar set to 161 kph.
2018 Jan 01: Abu Dhabi Police announced the speed limit on the new highway would be 140 km/h with no grace limit or buffer zone, i.e. radars would be set to trigger at 141 km/h. The higher limit is for light vehicles only. Heavy vehicles still have to stick to 80 or 100 kph.
2015 Nov: Speed limit adjustments depending on section of road (announced by Abu Dhabi Police):
- Al Dhafra Bridge to Baynona Forests: 100 km/hr + 20 km/h buffer, radar set to flash at 121 km/h.
- [Check] Baynonah Forest to Barakah: 120 km/hr + 20 km/h buffer, radar set to flash at 141 km/h. An announcement in Oct 2015 said this section would have "speed limit" 120 kph, not clear if that meant 100kph+buffer or 120 kph + buffer - other sections said "maximum speed limit".
- Barakah to Al Ghuwaifat: 100 km/hr + 20 km/h buffer, radar flash set to 121 km/h.
2015 Jul: Speed limit reduced to 120 km/h (was 140 kph). Or reduced to 100 kph + 20 kph buffer?

40 km/hour grace limit or buffer

On one or two highways in the Abu Dhabi emirate there was a 40 km/h buffer on the posted speed limit before the radar triggered for a speeding ticket, effectively meaning a motorist could drive at 160 kph on roads which had a posted limit of 120 kph. This was reduced to 20 kph [when?]. And then 0 kph in 2018.

Roads included the Abu Dhabi - Al Ain Road, and the Abu Dhabi emirate section of the Dubai-Al Ain Road [not confirmed]?

Other headings

Red carpet speed limit changes, e.g. Sheikh Zayed Highway 120 to 100 kph after Ibn Battuta Mall, 100 to 80 kph on E66 near Ras Al Khor.

References, sources

RTA Light Motor Vehicle Handbook.
www.dubaipolice.gov.ae/wps/portal/home/opendata/street-speed-limits, speed limits in Dubai (in Arabic and English).

Last update Tuesday 22-Oct-2019. Page development 1H 2T 3D 4L 5C.

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