Maha Makki, a Saudi businesswoman, ran several red lights while speeding in her Bentley car in Dubai because she had an important business appointment she didn't want to miss. The traffic police however did not accept her explanation. She was fined heavily and her car has been impounded for 60 days. Maha says she did not notice the red lights because she was in a hurry and that it was the first traffic violation she has ever had in her life. “Maybe I was driving a bit fast,” she said. The wealthy businesswoman, who holds an international driver's license and owns cars in several Arab and Western countries, stressed that she did believe it was necessary to respect traffic regulations to protect people's lives. The fine for running a red light in Dubai can be as much as 2,000 dirhams plus 12 black points (a similar amount for reckless driving) and 1,000 dirhams with three black points for not wearing a seat belt. __
