RIYADH: The Cabinet decision announced Monday with regard to amendments in the traffic regulations, and which put in place heavy fines for car drifting, has been widely lauded as a good move toward ensuring better road safety in the Kingdom.
Mohammad Talal Al-Otaibi, a public relations consultant said: “The new amendment levying heavy fines of SR20,000 and car seizure for first violations of car drifting laws would help ensure that those involve in car drifting will avoid it now.”
Moreover, according to amendments in the traffic regulations, any driver involved in a crash shall stop his vehicle at the scene and take the initiative to inform the competent authorities and provide possible assistance to the victims of the incident. If he fails to do so, he will be fined SR10,000, or imprisoned for three months, or both, which is good for traffic safety as it would ensure people will avoid rash driving.
Welcoming the move, Mohammad Zeyad, an event manager, said: “This is very important from the point of view of traffic safety and disability cases caused by road accidents.”
Traffic authorities have reportedly recorded more than 15,000 drifting violations in the kingdom in the past 21 months. (See related story: Accidents kill 92,000 in 16 years)
He added that it will help in fulfilling objectives like motorists following traffic instructions, rules and regulations, and help themselves and the administration to avoid road accidents and traffic violations, and let traffic authorities ensure smooth traffic service.
Echoing the sentiments, Saquib Hamza, a marketing executive, said: ”While driving, it is our duty to cooperate by following traffic guidelines, so as to ensure smooth traffic and public safety at large. Those disobeying must be fined heavily to avoid such careless driving which puts lives of others in danger.”
