BLURB

I think the Traffic Department should not double fines, especially in light of the current economic conditions in the Kingdom. Most people have enough financial burdens and cannot afford to take on more. Besides, doubling fines is unjustifiable as mentioned by the Grand Mufti. However, the Traffic Department did not take the Grand Mufti’s view into consideration and went ahead and doubled the fines.

Abdulghani Al-Qash

Makkah

We all agree that traffic rules are important for public safety. Lately, a list of new fines has been issued. A quick look at the list makes one wonder whether the fines were properly studied before being approved. The new fines are exorbitant and do not take into consideration the financial condition of most citizens.

I wish the Traffic Department would benefit from the experiences of traffic departments in neighboring countries and follow in their footsteps. There is nothing wrong with applying the same traffic rules as our neighboring countries as long as they have proved to be successful in organizing traffic and reducing the number of traffic violations.

The new fines, which have been approved by the Traffic Department, are double the old ones. The fines have been increased by three and four times to force road users to comply with the rules. There is nothing wrong with forcing drivers to comply with rules. However, I am against doubling the fines at a time when people are experiencing austerity. Fines should be commensurate with people’s income; they should be able to pay them off. The new fines are so large that most people cannot afford them. One of the new fines is SR20,000.

Many people commit traffic violations and have failed to pay their fines on time, which has resulted, as per the Traffic Department regulations, in the fines being doubled. Some Saudis have accumulated fines of SR10,000 and SR20,000; others have fines of over SR100,000 because of their failure to pay them on time.

I think the Traffic Department should not double fines, especially in light of the current economic conditions in the Kingdom. Most people have enough financial burdens and cannot afford to take on more. Besides, doubling fines is unjustifiable as mentioned by the Grand Mufti. However, the Traffic Department did not take the Grand Mufti’s view into consideration and went ahead and doubled the fines.

I believe it is important for fines to be reasonable. They should be increased in a gradual fashion, not all of a sudden. I am afraid that the prisons will end up being full of people who have failed to pay their traffic fines. Finally, I would like to affirm that I am not against imposing traffic fines on drivers. However, I believe fines should take into consideration the financial condition of the average Saudi citizen.