The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has decided to cease registration and licensing of Right-Hand Drive (RHD) Vehicles, including vehicles whose RHD steering system had been shifted. The step aims at boosting road safety levels and eliminating the risk posed by these vehicles to road users.
The CEO of RTA Licensing Agency Ahmed Hashim Bahrouzyan commented on the decision and said: “The new decision also includes the RHD vehicles which had been registered in the past, but such vehicles will not be re-registered now in case of applying for their ownership. However, in the event of exporting them to one of the GCC countries, the condition of the vehicle will be mentioned such as RHD steering shifted, the vehicle is scrap or not road-worthy, in which cases it will be exported without plates.
“RTA will not permit registration of any RHD vehicle, or those modified vehicles transferred from other emirates to the emirate of Dubai, and RTA will only exclude from the above ownership transfer transactions.
“GCC roads and systems do not allow for such vehicles to be driven unless their specifications have been modified and the steering shifted, as they had been designed for other countries. However, it is established that such modifications and changes impact the balance of such vehicles and pose risks to the driver as well as other road users” added Bahrouzyan.
It is worth-mentioning that this Decision will be applied throughout all GCC countries as it had been adopted by the member countries in the 29th Meeting of their highnesses & excellencies the Ministers of Interior held in Bahrain in October 2001.
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