Got Into Road Rage in Saudi Arabia? Hot-Tempered Motorists Could Land in Jail
Hot–tempered motorists in Saudi Arabia need to watch out for their outbursts of anger.
Road rage could be a traffic offence in the kingdom where authorities are ramping up efforts to reduce road mishaps.
“Equating road rage with the car stunt practice aims to reduce this situation that has significantly increased,” Turki Al Awwad, a Shura member and a co-author of the amendment draft, told Saudi news portal Akhbar24.
Car stunts in Saudi Arabia are illegal in Saudi Arabia where the risky practice is punishable for the first-time offender by impounding the vehicle for 15 days and a fine of SR20,000.
On repeat, the offender pays a fine of SR40,000 and is referred to the court where the violator could face imprisonment, while the car is impounded for one month.
If caught involved in the practice for a third time, the offender pays a fine of SR60,000, stands trial at the court that rules if the car should be confiscated or ordering the violator pay a fine equivalent to the value of a stolen car, or even send him to jail.
Saudi Arabia has recently toughened penalties for traffic offences to curtail road crashes.
In August, traffic authorities in the kingdom said fines ranging from SR100 to SR150 would be slapped on motorists who fail to give a priority to pedestrians using their designated crossings.
Authorities also warned that using a cellphone at the wheel is an offence punishable by a fine of up to SR900,while driving a vehicle with unclear or damaged number plate is a traffic infringement punishable by fines of SR1,000 to 2,000.
The annual cost of traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia is estimated at around SR11.7 billion.
