Car rentals feel heat as tourists rack up fines

COMPANIES UPDATE POLICIES AND CREATE AWARENESS TO ENSURE CUSTOMERS STAY ON RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW

- BY ZAINAB HUSAIN Features Writer

The UAE's strict traffic rules often catch visitors off-guard, leading some tourists to rack up hefty fines without realising it.

In some cases, these fines go unpaid when the tourist leaves the country, leaving rental companies to cover the costs.

Now, many rental firms are updating their policies and doing more to educate customers, ensuring safer driving and fewer disputes down the road.

'We had to pay Dh43,000 to settle tourist's traffic fines'

Mohammad Hassan, owner of 7Cars Rent a Car LLC, recalls one of the most extreme cases he has faced.

"Three years ago, I rented a luxury Range Rover to a tourist. The deposit was Dh2,000, but the fines he racked up reached Dh43,000. Eventually, the outstanding amount ballooned to Dh86,000," Hassan said.

Although he filed a civil case with Dubai Courts, the tourist left the country before the case was processed. "We ended up paying the traffic fines ourselves," he said.

His company now strictly accepts only credit cards and pre-authorises every transaction. "We also take time to educate tourists on the basic traffic rules and regulations in the UAE," he added. "Overspeeding is by far the most common traffic violation."

Traffic fines are logged against a vehicle's number plate. Car rental companies have to manually retrieve these fines and match them to the customer who rented the vehicle at the time.