Traffic police step up crackdown on drivers using mobile phones

AMMAN — Traffic police on Sunday said they will intensify their campaign against the use of mobile phones by drivers.

"We will continue to monitor this specific violation because our traffic officers in the field have noticed an increase in the number of people using their mobile phone while driving," a senior police official said.

The police official added that the Traffic Department was fining motorists in the past, but that "we felt they were still not respecting the law, so we decided to increase our surveillance and fines".

The senior official source told The Jordan Times that although "there are no specific statistics regarding traffic accidents that are caused by mobiles, the use of cell phones while driving is extremely dangerous".

"There are many traffic accidents that occur on our streets, which we suspect occurred because motorists were distracted by their cell phones, but we cannot record this since the drivers will not admit it," the source said.

The traffic official added that motorists will be notified about their violations via messages sent to their mobile numbers, which are registered at the Traffic Department.

In 2008, new provisions were introduced to the Traffic Law, entailing a JD15 fine for drivers caught holding their mobiles in their hand to make a call or use its applications.

Traffic officers in Jordan have highlighted international figures suggesting that the use of mobiles while driving is one of the main reasons for fatal traffic accidents, “which is similar to Jordan’s case since many of the accidents were the result of drivers’ being distracted while using mobiles, which resulted in several accidents due to failure to exert full safety precautions while driving, not abiding by traffic safety regulations and sudden changes in traffic lanes”. 

According to a statement issued by the Public Security Department (PSD), the Traffic Department will also increase its awareness campaigns on the dangers of using the mobile phones while driving.

“We urge people to respect the law and to help the PSD spread the culture of safe driving by avoiding dangerous traffic violations, including the use of mobile phones,” the PSD statement said.

The Royal Automobile Club of Jordan (RACJ), which took part in recent global campaigns to promote awareness among drivers, pedestrians and cyclists on the dangers of phone use while driving, noted that drivers are four times more likely to crash while on the phone, adding that accidents due to road user distraction by mobile phones are “on the rise”.

For drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, only a few seconds of distraction can mean the difference between life and death, the RACJ said.