RIYADH, 27 April 2005 — Some men and women may think it is a bother to use seat belts, but police are hoping that motorists will consider a SR100 fine more of a bother as the Traffic Department is giving fair warning that the law is to be strictly enforced — both for men and women.
“There is no difference between a man and woman when enforcing the law,” said Brig. Gen. Fahd Al-Besher, the director general of the Traffic Department.
The department made seat belt use compulsory for all drivers and front-seat passengers — male and female. The law makes usage of baby seats for children compulsory. The implementation of the law is planned to be carried out in stages. The first stage was presented in November 1997 by the Council of Ministers and was agreed upon by Interior Minister Prince Naif.
The law first required that only the driver and front-seat passengers must use seat belts because they are at greater risk of injury in an automobile accident. The second and third stages have not yet been enacted.
The law clearly bans children under the age of 10 from riding in the front seat. It also emphasizes the importance of using appropriate seats for children under the age of four. However, a fine was not included for those who violate the law.
“We have not encountered any difficulties with drivers when asking them to wear their seat belts or when issuing a citation for a violation,” Al-Besher said. “Everyone has been very cooperative until now.”
The penalty for violating seat belt laws as a driver or a front-seat passenger is a fine of SR100. On the other hand, a policeman who does not comply with the seat belt law will be questioned by his direct officer and fined SR100, which could affect his record and future promotions.
Some members of the public admired the initiative of the Traffic Department four years ago. Extensive ads on safety regulations concerning seat belts were more than expected. Still, some expressed their concern that at the present the law is not being enforced with the intensity it was getting a couple of years back.
Lina Abdul Aziz said she always wears her seat belt even before the law was carried out.
“My two-year-old child, however, always sits in the front seat with me while riding with my husband, but I was never told by a police officer that he shouldn’t.”
Majed Salem said he often sees the police at traffic lights reminding people to use their seat belts.
“I was fined once for not wearing my seat belt. I do not recall that the police ever told my wife to wear her seat belt when she was sitting next to me,” Salem said. “I never knew that the law included front-seat passengers, too.”
“My wife was told once to wear her seat belt three years ago,” said Mansour Muhammad.
According to the study by the Department of Industrial Engineering at King Saud University, there was a significant drop in certain types of car-crash injuries after the enactment of the seat belt law.
