KUWAIT CITY, Nov 7, (Agencies): In the upcoming traffic law amendments, significant changes are expected, with stricter penalties and substantial fines for specific violations. These changes have been proposed and finalized by the relevant committee, aiming to regulate and enhance road safety in the country.

For instance, individuals caught using a smartphone while driving will face a three-month prison sentence and a fine of 300 dinars. The same penalties apply to those driving old and dilapidated vehicles on the streets.

Exceeding the legal speed limit will result in a three-month imprisonment and a maximum fine of 500 dinars. Similarly, individuals with colored or illegally tinted vehicle windows will be subject to a two-month prison sentence and fines of up to 200 dinars.

These proposed amendments to the law introduce several stringent penalties to control traffic flow within the country. Violations such as allowing children or pets to protrude from or sit on external parts of a vehicle will result in a fine of 75 dinars. Placing children under 10 years of age in the front seats or failing to secure them in the rear seats will incur fines ranging from 100 to 200 dinars. The same fines apply to individuals who add writings, stickers, or images to their vehicles without proper authorization.

Furthermore, those who deliberately refuse to give way to emergency vehicles, fire, ambulance, civil defense, police, or official processions will face fines ranging from 250 to 500 dinars.

Leaving animals unattended on public roads will be penalized, and the proposed amendments also suggest fines of 45 to 75 dinars.

The amendments aim to prohibit the stopping of vehicles and the selling of goods, merchandise, and mobile beverages within residential areas and public facilities, as well as critical oil-related locations. All vehicles should park in designated or privately owned spaces.

Additional changes in the proposed amendments include:

• Confiscation: Police officers can confiscate a driver's license or vehicle permit if they are involved in accidents resulting in accidental deaths or injuries due to traffic violations. These documents will be forwarded to the relevant authorities within 24 hours.
• Insurance and Tariffs: The Ministry of Interior will issue regulations, terms, and vehicle insurance tariffs.
• New Regulation: The Ministry of Interior will specify cases in which insurance companies should compensate for vehicle accidents in the event of reconciliation.
• Driver Education: Individuals are not allowed to learn to drive a vehicle or motorcycle without obtaining a driving education permit from the traffic department, including the locations for education.
• Reinstating Suspended Licenses: A driver's license that has been suspended for the first time can be reinstated after the driver undergoes an educational program, provided they committed non-serious violations within the first year of obtaining their license, such as exceeding the speed limit without causing significant harm to others.
• Increased Fines: Fines of 250 to 500 dinars for various violations, including reckless driving that endangers the lives and properties of others, not giving way to government vehicles, improper overtaking, and exceeding the designated speed limit.
• Overtaking: In case of overtaking the maximum speed limit, imprisonment for three months or a fine of 500 dinars.
• Shades: In case of altering the color of the vehicle's glass or tinting it in violation of regulations, a two-month imprisonment or a fine of 200 dinars.
• Protruding from Vehicle: A fine of 75 dinars for anyone allowing passengers, animals, or objects to protrude from any external part of the vehicle, contrary to the vehicle's intended use.
• Reckless Driving: A fine of 200 to 500 dinars for driving recklessly and negligently, endangering the driver or others' lives and properties.
• Unauthorized Transport: Transporting passengers without proper authorization, with imprisonment not exceeding one month or a fine not exceeding 100 dinars.
• Driving below minimum speed: A fine for various violations, such as driving below the minimum speed on highways or circular roads, disregarding traffic instructions and orders, driving trucks during prohibited hours, and not giving priority to other vehicles as indicated by traffic regulations.
• Blocking Vehicles: A fine for various violations, such as not yielding the right of way to emergency vehicles, causing interference with traffic, parking in unauthorized areas, and not complying with executive regulations and ministerial decisions.
• Violations of the towing conditions, with fines for reconciliation as follows:
  • 75 dinars for violations of Article 33 (e.g., driving without a license, not giving way to government vehicles).
  • 150 dinars for violations of Article 33, repeated (e.g., running a red light, reckless driving, driving in non-designated areas).
  • 50 dinars for violations of Article 34 (e.g., causing accidents that damage personal properties and public facilities, having a child under 10 in the front seat, driving without brakes, etc.).
  • 30 dinars for violations of Article 35 (e.g., driving another person's vehicle without their knowledge and consent, driving a vehicle with unclear license plates).
• A fine of 20 dinars for reconciliation when exceeding the maximum speed limit.
• The arrest of violators is permissible for police officers for various violations, such as driving under the influence of alcohol, participating in vehicle races without permission, reckless driving, exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h, driving buggies in non-designated areas, driving without a license, driving without license plates, running red lights, using a vehicle for a purpose other than its intended use, and other violations in accordance with executive regulations and ministerial decisions.
• Proposed additions to the law include penalties of three months in prison or a 300 KD fine for using a handheld phone while driving and for driving a vehicle in poor condition or with loud noises. Similarly, a three-month prison sentence or a 500-dinar fine is proposed for exceeding the maximum prescribed speed limit.
• A two-month prison sentence or a 200-dinar fine is suggested for those who alter the color of their vehicle's glass or tint it in a manner that violates regulations. A 75-dinar fine is recommended for allowing passengers, animals, or objects to protrude from any external part of the vehicle, contrary to the vehicle's intended use.