Penalties for stunt driving toughened

Penalties for stunt driving toughened
Saudi youths exhibit their "drifting" skills along a busy road in Tabuk region in this file photo. (Reuters)
Updated 09 August 2016
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Penalties for stunt driving toughened

Penalties for stunt driving toughened

JEDDAH: More stringent penalties now await recalcitrant citizens who engage in “car drifting,” a popular pastime of Saudi youth which is now considered a major health hazard.
In a session on Monday at the Al Salam Palace in Jeddah, the Council of Ministers, chaired by Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Mohammed bin Naif, approved modifications giving more teeth to traffic rules against the practice.
For the first offense, the car would be impounded for 15 days, the driver would be fined SR20,000 and would be referred to court to determine the jail sentence.
Second time offenders would be fined SR40,000, their cars would be impounded for a month and the driver is referred to court
Third time violators would be fined SR60,000, the car would be impounded, and the court would look into confiscating the vehicle permanently.
Penalties against “drifting” had been raised in the past to SR1,000 for first offense, SR1,500 for second offense, and SR2,000 for third offense, plus other penalties, depending on the circumstances.
However, authorities have deemed that the fine was really too low to discourage “drifting,” blamed for many of the accidents happening accross the Kingdom.
In one such accident documented on video in Riyadh, a Saudi youth was shown drifting recklessly, causing his vehicle to overturn as he lost control over it, damaging two cars parked along the road.
A number of deaths caused by “drifters” have also been reported in the past years.
Authorities have called on parents to monitor their sons, but the practice is still reported to be rampant.