Dubai Police have called for caution when travelling on scooters or crossing the road after the force announced 13 deaths involving jaywalkers and e-scooter riders in the first five months of 2025.
Nine jaywalkers died while crossing roads in non-designated areas and four scooter riders have been killed since January.
More than 15,000 e-scooters were confiscated by police in the same period, while more than 28,000 incidents of jaywalking were recorded across the city.
“The force issued 28,027 offences for jaywalkers caught crossing motorways and confiscated 15,029 electric scooters for not following traffic rules,” said Maj Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, acting assistant commander-in-chief for operations at Dubai Police. He said the scooter riders had been stopped after travelling in non-designated lanes, and for not wearing safety vests or helmets.
Ministry of Interior figures show Dubai Police issued 35,233 fines for jaywalkers in 2024.
Maj Al Mazrouei said this indicated that many people still endanger others by acting recklessly on the roads.
“Jaywalkers and misusing scooters are among the biggest challenges [in terms of road safety], especially in populated areas,” he said.
Under-16s are not allowed to use an electric bike or e-scooter on Dubai roads and anyone riding an e-scooter must have a permit from the Road and Transport Authority.
“Traffic safety is a joint responsibility. Breaching traffic laws can cause accidents," said Maj Al Mazrouei.
Police said a Dh300 ($80) fine will be imposed on those caught riding dangerously on electric bikes or e-scooters, or travelling on roads reserved for cars with a speed limit exceeding 60kph.
In the UAE, jaywalkers can be fined Dh400 and drivers who do not give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings could receive a Dh500 fine and six black points on their licence. Dubai Police urged the public to report offenders by logging on to their app or by calling 901.
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
