Officials praise new Traffic Law for deterrence measures, harshened penalties

AMMAN — Former traffic officials and experts praised the newly endorsed traffic law, saying it will work to reduce accidents and fatalities on the Kingdom’s roads.

On August 12, a Royal Decree was issued approving the 2023 Traffic Law, which will be enforced within 30 days of its publication in the Official Gazette. 

Notable amendments include increased fines for repeat offences due to negligence. Likewise, fines for using a mobile phone while operating a vehicle have increased from JD15 to JD50. 

Additionally, running a red light will result in a prison term ranging from one to two months and a fine between JD200 and JD300. In cases of repeat offences within the span of one year, the penalty will be doubled.

President of the Jordanian Society for the Prevention of Road Accidents Wafai Mseis praised the new law, saying it will work to alter “reckless driving behaviours”.

“We have witnessed an increase in motorists’ recklessness and disrespect of traffic rules and regulations, which resulted in an increase in road accidents and fatalities,” Mseis told The Jordan Times.

Once the law enters into effect in the coming days, “we will start witnessing changes in drivers’ behaviours and, hopefully, more people will respect the traffic rules”, he said.

Interior Minister Mazen Faraya recently revealed that the ministry recorded 169,000 road accidents last year, which resulted in 562 deaths and 17,096 injuries.

The minister also shared data from this year, saying that from January through July 27,383 deaths and 6,331 injuries due to road accidents were reported. 

Authorities recorded tens of thousands of offences last year, including running red lights, driving in the wrong direction and reckless driving, Faraya added.

The new law also stipulates an increase in punishment and fine for motorists who exceed the speed limit by 50km/h. Motorists caught for excessive speeding will be imprisoned for one to three months and will be fined JD100, with the fine to be doubled in the case of a repeat violation within one year.

Celebratory vehicle processions are also considered traffic violations, and carry a penalty ranging from JD50 to JD100 instead of the previous JD30.

The draft law also allows for evidence obtained via electronic means to be admissible in judicial proceedings to provide proof of traffic violations.

A higher council for road safety has been established, including representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Local Administration, Ministry of Transport, the Land Transport Regulatory Commission, the Greater Amman Municipality and two representatives of the private sector.

The council is responsible for approving the national strategy for road safety and its executive plan, coordinating with official and private entities for joint efforts to ensure that duties and responsibilities are fulfilled, studying traffic impact and amending legislation.

Former Transport Minister Lina Shbeeb also welcomed the new law, but noted that “there are some issues that were not addressed or included in the law”.

“The law did not impose fines on backseat passengers who fail to wear seatbelts,” Shbeeb told The Jordan Times.

In addition, the former minister explained that the new law stiffened punishments for motorists who exceed the speed limit by 50 km/h, but did not address speeding in urban areas.

“Speeding in urban areas, even by 10km/h, is as dangerous as exceeding the speed limit by 50km/h,” Shbeeb explained.

The former minister also touched on the lack of articles that address autonomous vehicles.

“There are no articles in the law that specifies who is responsible or how to deal with accidents involving self-driving [autonomous] vehicles,” she said.

Shbeeb believes that the higher council, which will be headed by the interior minister, should be headed by the prime minister instead, “so that the body will have wider jurisdiction to draft and implement strategies to address any future developments and needs related to road safety”.

Former minister of transport and former PSD traffic director, Jamil Ali Salim Mujahed, told The Jordan Times in a recent interview that “although fines were increased, it might not result in the needed awareness among motorists”.

“We have demanded in the past that the system obligates violating motorists to pay their fines after one month, rather than waiting for one year, so that they will be reminded of the consequences of their violations,” Mujahed explained.

 Mseis stressed the need to raise motorists’ awareness in the coming days before the law comes into effect.

Shbeeb agreed with Mseis, adding that it all “depends on the application of the law”.

“We will see a decline in traffic accidents this year, but the future will depend on how serious the authorities are in enforcing the law,” Shbeeb said.