KUWAIT: The traffic department has started installing advanced artificial intelligence-aided cameras to catch drivers using mobile phones and those not wearing seatbelts, a traffic department official said on Sunday. Lt Col Abdullah Buhasan, deputy director of the traffic awareness department, told Kuwait Television that as many as 252 cameras will be installed. He said that several cameras have already been installed and “are operational”.

Buhasan said that the traffic department has also installed smart “point-to-point” cameras that are able to determine if drivers comply with the speed limit on various roads. Under a new draft traffic law, fines and penalties for traffic violators have been increased manifold. Under the new law, fines for using mobile phones 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.

The law has been approved by legal departments and sent to the Cabinet for endorsement. If approved, it will be sent to HH the Amir to issue it in a decree. Under the law, the lowest fine is KD 15 (from currently KD 5) and the highest can go up to KD 5,000 for drivers who cause death while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The draft law also stipulates that expats are allowed to own only one vehicle. Buhasan also said that the fine for seating infants and children in the front seat has been raised tenfold to KD 50.

Meanwhile, the interior ministry said on Sunday that detectives of the residency department have arrested 389 expats in violation of residency and labor laws in a search campaign between Nov 11 and 14. It added that legal procedures are being taken to deport them, while as many as 497 illegals have already been deported.