The General Administration for Traffic plans to introduce heavy penalties for drivers breaking the country's traffic laws, particularly for offenses harming the public and driving a vehicle without insurance.

Col. Ali Abdullah Al-Dibaikhi, acting traffic director of Riyadh traffic department, said a review of current legislation is under way.

“A committee comprising experts and consultants of the Ministry of Interior is currently studying deterrent punishments to end the common violations committed by motorists,” said Al-Dibaikhi.

The move comes before a scheduled Shoura Council discussion on a report of the Saher system on Monday, and a proposal to amend Article 73 of the Traffic Regulations, a local newspaper reported yesterday.

“There are regulations that require reviewing. Stricter punishment should be meted out to some violators commensurate with the harm they inflict on the public,” the official said.

One violation under review involves driving a vehicle without insurance, he added.

Al-Dibaikhi said traffic officers issue tickets for parking violations even if drivers are in their cars.

He said a special plan is in place to regulate heavy traffic in Ramadan, including tackling bottlenecks and dealing with accidents. More than 600 officers and 550 patrols will be deployed to ensure traffic runs smoothly in the city. The patrols will include undercover police on ring roads, main roads and expressways.

On the orders of Riyadh Gov. Prince Khalid bin Bandar plans are in place to handle traffic during the evening and early morning rush hours on major and branch roads leading to mosques, he said.

In response to a question, he said it was not true the police had arrested two young women with joy riders in Riyadh. “No woman was arrested with any detained joy riders.

The video clip of the incident is not recent and involved some adolescents.” He said the directorate has secret informants on all street corners and squares and a list of all joy riders in each neighborhood.