Strict punishments will be enforced against speeding motorists, according to the interior ministry’s relations and security information department’s acting Director General Brig Tawheed Al-Kandari.

He stated that anyone caught driving over 170 km/h will receive a harsh penalty for endangering their own lives and others, and it includes detainment for 48 hours and impounding of their cars. He pointed out that such grave violations usually occur at weekends and more than 30 persons are detained for speeding.

Recently, the Ministry of Interior has deported 146 expatriates from the country due to being caught for serious traffic violations, and in some cases, these expatriates were arrested for driving without a license. These punishments serve as a way to reinforce traffic laws, and curb the number of violations commited by motorists.

Directorate General of Public Relations and Security Information at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) had released a statement on 7 July stressing that based on the keenness of the security establishment to enforce laws and impose traffic discipline on the road, and in light of the role played by the General Traffic Department in maintaining the safety of road users, achieving traffic safety and in accordance with relevant laws, any expatriate found driving a vehicle without a license will be deported from the country.

In recent months, the MoI has been applying the strengthened traffic laws against violators, meting out punishments such as impounding vehicles and temporarily withdrawing driving licenses of those caught flouting the traffic laws.

According to a circular issued by the ministry earlier in the year, the withdrawal of the vehicle and the driver license and the referral of the person to the authorities was to be enforced against violators found carrying passengers in return for money, holding illegal races on public roads, and driving recklessly.

The punishment of license withdrawal and impounding of cars is also mandated for those who drive a vehicle without number plates, drive against the flow of traffic, reckless driving or if the motorist tends to be negligent.

Other violations that could invite severe punishment include not showing the registration book, driving the vehicle without insurance, if the vehicle is emitting smoke or producing too much noise, driving a vehicle with tinted glass, obstructing traffic movement and exceeding the speed limit.

More than 120 people have lost their lives since the start of this year till the middle of May, according to Kuwait’s General Directorate of Traffic, a total of 401 fatalities took place on Kuwait’s roads in 2018; the victims were mostly young men in the prime of their lives. Though the fatalities were slightly down from the 424 people that were killed in 2017, each death was still one death too many.

Most of those killed in road accidents were victims of rash driving, either drivers and co-passengers of the involved vehicles, or innocent pedestrians. A recent regional survey showed that while improving road infrastructure led to the smoother flow of vehicles and less traffic jams, it also led to increased instances of speeding, tailgating and lane-swerving by rash drivers. This not only decreased road safety and driving experience for the other people who used the roads, but also reduced the benefits of better infrastructure by leading to more road accidents.

 

 


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