KUWAIT CITY, Oct 17: Dangerous driving habits are widespread on Kuwait’s roads with speeding and phone use being the most common violations, which in turn demands urgent attention, raising awareness and enforcing laws and regulations to ensure public safety. Accidents resulting from other’s mistakes or unexpected road incidents occur almost daily, often leading to causalities, injuries, and financial losses, frequently caused by reckless behavior, violations, or carelessness. In response, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) is making efforts to tackle these challenges, through strict traffic laws, and presenting advanced technologies the government aims to establish a better traffic system and minimize injuries and damages. Statistics from the Ministry of Interior showed that, between January 1 and June 30, 2024, the total number of speeding violations in Kuwait’s six governorates exceeded 1.5 million, with 9,472 distracted driving violations. The report, issued by the Ministry’s Traffic Planning and Research Department, revealed that more than 93 percent of traffic accidents during this period were caused by distracting-driving, while 7 percent were due to other factors, totaling 3,100,638 violations were recorded in the first half of 2024 Director of Traffic Awareness Department at (MoI) Colonel Fahad Al- Issa told KUNA that one of the main causes of distracting-driving is the use of phone, he confirmed in the first half of 2024, over 30,000 violation for phone use while driving were recorded.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras have been installed to monitor seatbelt use and phone use while driving, there are currently 252 of these cameras spread across the six governorates, aimed at reducing traffic violations and ensuring the safety of both citizens and residents, Colonel Al-Issa added. He stressed the importance of wearing seatbelts, avoiding speeding, stop using phones while driving, he also urged drivers to ensure that children are seated in the back for their safety and maintain safety distance to prevent collisions during sudden stops.  (KUNA)