Cairo: Traffic courts in Kuwait have heard 12,045 cases in the first seven months of this year, according to official figures.
These cases ended in 145 prison sentences, including 30 in Hawalli governorate, followed by Farwaniya with 29, and Al Jahra with 26, Al Qabas newspaper reported, citing statistics from the Ministry of Justice.
The number of deaths linked to these cases totalled 119, mostly in Al Ahmadi in southern Kuwait with 37.
The total of fines in traffic cases during the same period reached KD203,000 (Dh2.43 million), the statistics showed.
Kuwaiti traffic police said they had jotted down 54,844 infringements in one week in September amid stepped-up efforts to curb road crashes in the country of 4.9 million people.
Kuwait is set to adopt a new traffic law incorporating hefty fines with the aim of reining in reckless driving and enhancing road safety. The current traffic code has been in effect since 1976.
300 accidents a day
About 300 traffic accidents are recorded daily on average in Kuwait, according to a security official.
Ninety per cent of these mishaps are due to lack of attention, vehicle drivers’ preoccupation with using the mobile phone, recklessness, and high speeding, said Maj. Gen. Yousef Al Khadda, the assistant undersecretary for traffic at the Ministry of Interior.
With this in mind, the fine on using the mobile phone while driving will increase in the new law from KD5 to 75, while the penalty for not putting on the seat belt will triple to KD30.
"The new traffic law is necessary to reduce the rates of serious violations. Traffic accidents are the second highest cause of death in Kuwait, after heart disease," the official said this week.
In the new draft law, the fine for traffic recklessness are amended to increase from KD30 to 150.
"The current traffic law has been in effect since 1976, and some of the fines in it no longer constitute a deterrent to violators," the official said.
Under the new law, which has yet to be ratified, an expatriate will only be allowed to own one car.
