Traffic department introduces AI to monitor mobile use while driving

AMMAN — The Central Traffic Department (CTD) of the Public Security Directorate (PSD) on Tuesday announced that it will be using artificial intelligence to capture motorists who use their mobiles while driving on the Kingdom’s streets.

Under the slogan “Your lives matter”, the CTD used various media outlets to alert the public to the new AI procedures related to the use of mobiles while driving.

“Do not use your mobile while driving because it distracts your mind,” read one of the CTD messages on their Facebook pages.

“The use of mobiles increases the time to react to dangers and increases the possibilities of road accidents,” according to the CTD.

The fine imposed on motorists who use their mobile phones while operating a vehicle is JD50, according to the amended Traffic Law that was passed in September 2023.

Mohammad Zreaqat praised the CTD’s move, stating on their Facebook page: “Using the mobile is contributing to more traffic congestion and reckless driving by motorists”

“The situation is becoming unbearable and violating motorists should have their licenses revoked for one year,” Zreaqat wrote.

Zakaria Qudah added: “Indeed, the use of mobile phones by motorists has become a common scene in Jordan”.

This,  Qudah maintained, will surely “result in more accidents and the loss of lives”.

According to a 2023 report by the PSD, Jordan lost 560 individuals in over 170,000 traffic accidents last year.

The report indicated that there were 16469 injuries, including 826 people who were severely injured in 170,058 road accidents in 2023.

The report also said that the population of Jordan in 2023 was 11.5 million and the number of registered vehicles was 1,930,958.

The Kingdom witnessed 1.5 deaths and 45 injuries daily, according to the PSD report.

The PSD report also highlighted that human errors were attributed to 96.2 per cent of road accidents, while 2.6 per cent is attributed to road construction and 1.2 per cent to the vehicle itself.