MANAMA, 21 August 2004 — The General Directorate of Traffic issued 114,920 traffic tickets in 2003 while the number of registered vehicles in Bahrain soared to 273,230 during the same period according to figures issued by the directorate.
Out of the vehicles registered with the directorate by the end of 2003, 25,086 were registered with new plate numbers.
The figure of registered vehicles represented an increase of 109,648 when compared to the figures of 1994 when only 163,582 were operating on the streets of Bahrain.
The figures also revealed that traffic policemen issued 114,920 tickets for motorists in 2003 for violations that included driving while intoxicated, driving without a license, speeding, running a red light, driving in the wrong direction, illegal parking, failure to wear a seatbelt, and using un-registered vehicles. The directorate also issued 20,833 new licenses, and 20,689 learning permits in 2003.
