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Motorists in the kingdom are being urged to abide by the rules of the road and be courteous to other drivers … or face the consequences. The smart CCTV cameras set up on the highways and at junctions are now in full operational order and catching inconsiderate and irresponsible law-breakers.
The General Directorate of Traffic officials say they simply want office workers, mothers on school runs and other road-users to arrive at their destinations safely and are determined to lower the number of fatalities and serious injuries suffered on the roads.
Captain Khalid M. Buqais, head of the legal section of the Ministry of Interior General Directorate of Traffic, told GulfWeekly that people ‘should not fear’ the hi-tech devices. They are certified, precise and have been put in place to monitor violations such as speeding, wrongful overtaking, running a red light, encroaching on the emergency lane, talking on hand-held phones or not wearing a seat belt.
Captain Buqais said: “The goal of the General Directorate of Traffic is for each driver and passenger to reach home safely. We simply want people to abide by the rules for their own well-being and for the safety of others around them.
“For that reason, we have been provided with the latest equipment and technology to capture accidents and violations occurring on our highways and at junctions. There are cameras on police vehicles as well to monitor the roads and drivers around them.
“This smart system will help in spotting infractions. It will also assist in capturing incidents that will help the directorate in carrying out its investigations and pinpointing the reason for the accident. “This will assist in the execution of the new laws launched in February 2015.
We will take all the necessary actions, tools and facilities to ensure that the traffic laws are implemented.” Irresponsible motorists will face a range of consequences including penalty points, fines of up to BD6,000, losing their licenses and, in extreme cases, jail sentences.
In 2015, one traffic accident was reported every 4.99 minutes and the death rate was 1.37 deaths per 10,000 registered cars. The total registered cars in 2015 were 611,578. It was recently revealed that around 2,000 new surveillance cameras have been installed across the island.
They can scan license plates, the faces of around 75 people at any one time and enables police officers to locate a fugitive or detect a wanted vehicle. It can also provide details of a motorist’s traffic violations and criminal history on the spot.
Already the cameras have helped track down a group of drivers racing recklessly at speeds of up to 160km/per hour and the culprits have been dealt with. Captain Buqais said: “The laws are stricter than before. Now, depending on the offence, a license can be withdrawn for three months.
Some violations could result in drivers losing their license for six months and so forth. “Other punishments include jail time. Causing an accident while speeding, for example, can lead to prison from one to three months. Running a red light and causing an accident will result in a minimum fine of BD1,000.
“This is serious and if you break the law then you must pay the price.” Depending on the severity of an incident, a specific number of points will also be placed on a driver’s record. If that individual collects 20 points over the course of a year from the time the first violation has been recorded, then the driver’s licence will be revoked for three months.
Get caught reoffending and the driver will lose it for six months should they pick up another 20 points in that year.
Do it again and it will be revoked for a year and subsequently for good. The only way to get back on the road would be to attend a traffic school and pass a driving test again.
