Speed tolerances differ by emirate, tailgating is enforced by camera, and the hard shoulder is not a lane. A short list worth reading before you drive.
UAE roads are wide, well surfaced and heavily monitored. The enforcement is almost entirely automatic, which means an offence rarely involves being stopped — it involves a notice arriving later. Visitors who drive the way they do at home tend to collect several before they notice.
Start with speed. The buffer above a posted limit is not the same in every emirate, and on many roads there is none at all. The only safe assumption is that the posted number is the number.
The ones that surprise people most
Tailgating is enforced by camera and penalised heavily; leave a visible gap even when the car behind you is not. The hard shoulder is not a lane and using it as one is a serious offence, not a minor one. Lane discipline is taken seriously: the left lane is for overtaking, and sitting in it draws a fine. A phone in your hand while driving carries both a fine and black points.
The one that matters most is alcohol. There is no permitted level for a driver in the UAE — not a low one, none. It is treated as a criminal matter rather than a traffic fine, and it will also void the insurance on the car you are driving.
There is no permitted level of alcohol for a driver in the UAE. Not one drink. It is a criminal matter, not a traffic fine.