KUWAIT CITY, Feb 29: According to the Chairman of the Unified Gulf Traffic Week Activities Committee Brigadier General Nawaf Al-Hayyan, the General Traffic Department declared that the Gulf Traffic Week is not about issuance of traffic violations, but is instead aimed at raising traffic awareness and achieving discipline on the road.

Launch He revealed this during a press conference regarding the launch of the Unified Gulf Traffic Week activities under the slogan of “Driving Without a Phone” held yesterday morning in the Operations Room building in South Sabahiya in the presence of the Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs Major General Yousef Al-Khadda and other senior leaders in the General Traffic Department.

Brigadier General Al-Hayyan explained that “blocks” will be opened during the Traffic Week for all closed violations in Khairan Mall and the Avenues Mall including the violations for parking in the disabled parking lots, as they are within the jurisdiction of the General Department of Investigations. Any person with an impounded vehicle can receive clearance for his vehicle after paying the due fine. Since its implementation on September 1 last year, the “Rasid” application issued about 650,000 traffic citations, but made it easier for the violator to quickly receive full details about the violation. If some violations are repeated at the same time and place, a person may file a grievance through the Sahel app or any of the violations sections in the traffic departments.

There are officers in the Violations Investigation Department who verify the repetition of violations. If the repetition is proven, the repeated violation is reserved. Furthermore, there is a link between the General Traffic Department, the Public Authority for the Disabled Affairs (PADA), and all state institutions so that the driver’s license of a person with visual disability will be suspended, based on a letter from PADA. The same applies to the Psychiatric Hospital and other state institutions.

Regarding the mechanism for withdrawing expatriates’ licenses, Brigadier General Al- Hayyan indicated that the profession-based driver’s license of any expatriate who changes his profession will be canceled, and he will have to apply again for a new driving license. He said he hoped the members of the upcoming National Assembly would discuss the approval of the new traffic law because increased penalties for traffic violations will contribute to reducing serious traffic accidents.

Brigadier General Al-Hayyan reviewed the traffic statistics for the year 2023, explaining that the population of Kuwait is 4 million and 824 thousand. The number of driving licenses issued by the General Traffic Department is 1,951,495 licenses. The number of vehicles is 2,546,798 vehicles. The number of private licenses and general licenses is 1,751,203 and 152,779 respectively. The number of driving licenses issued for citizens is 1,900,735 licenses, for residents 876,432 licenses, and for non-Kuwaitis 65,240 licenses.

The number of construction licenses reached 16,299 licenses. The number of two-wheeler licenses is 31,284 licenses, including licenses for 11,992 delivery motorbikes. The number of violators for exceeding the speed limit is 4,294,446 violations, for crossing red signal 853,220, for not wearing a seat belt while driving 370,120, for using a phone while driving 185,816, for annoying noises from the exhaust 102,816, for violations related to road safety 49,380, for not paying attention while driving 21,897, for reckless driving 8,540, and for racing on public roads 892 violations. The number of direct violations amounted to 3,142,923, and indirect violations 5,977,83 violations, reaching a total of 9,120,000 violations. The number of impounded vehicles reached 10,460 vehicles, The number of deportees was 155.

Among the people arrested for traffic-related issues, 3,698 were referred to the traffic police, 314 to the traffic court, and 80 rulings were issued against violators. The number of traffic accidents in 2023 reached 74,870, including 985 run-over accidents, 2,132 vehicle overturns, and 296 accidents that resulted in death. Brigadier General Al-Hayyan indicated that the violations have been linked to the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar, and in the future, they will be linked to all Gulf Cooperation Council countries. He revealed a decrease in the number of eye related injuries reported at the ophthalmology departments of the Ministry of Health hospitals during the national holidays, as the number reduced from 331 cases last year to 14 cases this year, which is a 95 percent decrease.

In related context, the Director of the Violations Investigation Department Brigadier General Muhammad Saad Al-Otaibi affirmed that police officers may issue citations through the Rasid application irrespective of whether when they are on-duty or off-duty. He stressed that if violations are repeated, there are officers who receive grievances about this type of violation, and once they make sure that the violation is repeated in the same place and at the same time, the violation is saved and one violation is reserved. Furthermore, Assistant Director for Technical Affairs at the General Traffic Department Brigadier General Mohammad Al- Adwani revealed that the General Traffic Department is working on a project to develop the technical inspection departments and provide them with modern equipment.