JEDDAH: The newly formed authority for traffic violations in Jeddah is looking at cases of dangerous traffic violations such as speeding, jumping red lights, joy riding and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, said Col. Abdullah Al-Shahrani, its chairman.

Al-Shahrani said traffic and security officers found guilty of issuing tickets to motorists on false charges would face tough punishment and made to pay the fines they wrongly imposed.

Al-Shahrani said the new traffic law has specified that a maximum fine could be imposed on violators who fail to pay their fine within a month of the violation.

“Every traffic violation will be given points in accordance with its seriousness and if a person accrues 24 points his driving license would be withdrawn,” he said.

Al-Shahrani said the authority, which acts in place of a traffic court, takes up nearly 60 traffic cases every day. “Speeding and jumping red lights constitute the majority of cases,” he added.

The authority is composed of three senior grade officers as well as a lower-grade officer who act as a secretary. It looks into charges against traffic violators and objections raised by the violators before issuing its ruling.

Defendants have the right to appeal the authority’s decisions. The authority summons violators as well as officers who record the violations to its hearings.

“We have been able to convince many violators of traffic rules that their behavior on the road was wrong. Since the authority was set up in May this year, nobody has expressed any dissatisfaction with its rulings because we look at cases in an objective manner. We have full freedom to take appropriate decisions,” Al-Shahrani told Al-Madinah newspaper.

Traffic violators will be asked to report to the authority within 30 days after the violation to look into their case and issue punishment in accordance with the law.

At the hearings before the authority, traffic officers will read out charges against the violators, who will be given the chance to defend themselves before a verdict is passed.

Al-Shahrani said the authority deals sympathetically with cases involving the elderly, the sick and the disabled, and asks them to pay fines, instead of sentencing them to jail terms.

He urged the media to play an important role in enlightening the public on the importance of following traffic rules for their own safety and the safety of fellow road users.