I was stopped at a checkpoint and asked by a traffic officer why I was not wearing my seat belt. I was ashamed for not wearing it and said I had forgotten and that I deserved to be punished. The officer said there is no excuse for what I had done and that he would issue me a ticket. He then excused me and asked me to remember to wear it next time. I thanked him, put on my seatbelt and drove away.
The officer thought he had done something good and that his action was a good awareness exercise. This is true. However, if he fined me SR1,000 then the point he was making would have been more poignant and I would have never forgotten to wear my seat belt. When a mistake is intentional, then it is not a mistake but a crime. Ignoring traffic laws or forgetting to obey them are not acceptable excuses, especially in advanced countries where the ignorant and the forgetful are punished equally as breaking the law is a crime. In such a scenario, the ignorant would be forced to familiarize themselves with the law and the forgetful would be forced to remember in the future.
We often hear and read in newspapers about abusive traffic officers who wrongly issue tickets to drivers. I have never heard of the Traffic Department compensating citizens who were wrongly issued tickets, regardless of whether the error was due to a human or computer error. There are, however, tough punishments in place for officers who abuse their authority. Nevertheless, I have never heard of an abusive police or traffic officer admitting he has been abusive. All officers are perfect and they never make mistakes.
As for those who think fines are too expensive, some say that traffic fines are unjust. They even tell emotional stories and question how someone with a monthly salary of SR2,500 can pay a SR900 traffic fine? Some mention how a driver ran through a red light to reach his sick father in hospital. In these cases, people want the Traffic Department to sympathize with them. Those with sound mind ask: Why did he commit the violation in the first place? Those with low incomes can protect their earnings by not breaking the law. Those who have to rush to hospital to see their sick fathers or dying sons can wait a few moments at a traffic light, otherwise they themselves could risk becoming embroiled in a road accident.
No one should complain about steep fines, as they can simply be avoided. Do not violate the law and you will not be fined. I think it is time we started learning how to obey the law. People who violate a simple rule should be fined SR1,000. Those who sympathize with violators should also be severely punished.
