KUWAIT: Expatriates will no longer be allowed to own more than one vehicle under a new traffic law to be implemented soon, announced a top Interior Ministry official on Thursday, adding that fines and penalties will be increased dramatically to curb rising accidents. “The new law stipulates that expat’s ownership is only one vehicle,” Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs and Operations, Major-General Yousef Al-Khaddah, told KUNA in an interview.

He said that the law, where fines are increased in some cases by as high as 750 percent, has been reviewed and passed by the government’s legal department, the public prosecution, and the higher judicial council, and that the Interior Minister has sent it to the council of ministers last week for approval. After that, the law, which replaces 48-year-old legislation, will be sent to HH the Amir, who will issue it in a decree. There is no need for the National Assembly to pass it since the legislative body is dissolved.

Khaddah said that the existing traffic law was introduced in 1976, and most of the fines and penalties are not stringent enough to curb offenders. He said that the smallest fine in the new law would be KD 15 for parking in prohibited areas (KD 5 currently), and the biggest fine could reach as high as KD 5,000. Khaddah said that police issue some 300 traffic tickets on average daily, 90 percent of which happen because drivers pay no attention to the roads or use mobile phones while driving or as a result of reckless driving.

The fine for using a mobile while driving will be increased from KD 5 to KD 75, while the fine for not using a seatbelt will triple from KD 10 to KD 30, he said. The fine for reckless driving will be increased from KD 30 to as high as KD 150, while the fines for breaking the red light and racing on the road will be raised to KD 150 each from KD 50 currently, Khaddah said. Vehicles with harmful emissions, loud noises, or dropping some harmful liquids will have their fines increased from KD 10 currently to KD 75, while the fine for parking in places for the handicapped will be increased 15 folds to KD 150 from KD 10, he said.

The fines for speeding will be raised from between KD 20 and 50 to as high as between KD 70 and KD 150. Khaddah said the fines and penalties for driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs have significantly been increased. Those who drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be fined between KD 1,000 and KD 3,000 and jailed between one and two years.

If they damage public or private property, the fine will be between KD 2,000 and KD 3,000, and the jail term will be between one and three years. However, if these drivers cause the death or injury, the fine will be at least KD 2,000 and could go up to KD 5,000, in addition to a jail term ranging between two and five years. Khaddah said that jail terms can be replaced by social service under the new law. The new law also allows vehicles to be seized at home instead of being seized at the Ministry facilities.