KUWAIT: The interior ministry plans to issue a decision banning residents from traveling unless they pay their traffic fines, in addition to linking the ministry with other government agencies to halt the processing of any transactions of citizens and residents who have traffic violations.

A source said this procedure is carried out in all GCC countries, so the traffic sector is contemplating presenting a proposal to issue a decision to regulate the collection of traffic fines from citizens and residents. "Accumulated fines are estimated at millions of dinars, particularly as there are large amounts owed by violators who are now dead or imprisoned, in addition to many residents who left the country for good," the source noted.

Meanwhile, sources said among the proposals is to have special offices at border outlets to collect fines and link the customs department and the interior ministry to stop any vehicle from leaving if it has traffic violations, especially as there is no law that bans citizens from traveling if they have violations on their record. The sources said the traffic department is also studying the possibility of sending an SMS alert to a violator immediately after registering the violation.