Saudi Arabia applies 24-hour jail for using cell while driving

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Riyadh, (IINA) - Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry has announced that motorists caught using their phones while driving would be jailed for 24 hours. In addition, driving at speeds higher than 160 km/h would result in suspending a motorist’s license, Arab News reported Thursday.
Colonel Abdulaziz Al-Luhaidan, head of the commission for the development of traffic bodies, made the announcement on a radio program, noting that 60 people were penalized last month for such violations.
Al-Luhaidan said that there would also be severe penalties for speedsters. No one has the right to overturn the commission’s rulings, including the head of the ministry’s Public Security division, he said.
Al-Luhaidan stated that his commission can issue rulings on 73 traffic violations, 11 of which are concerned with offenses affecting public safety, stressing that they can result in imprisonment. These include running red lights, driving on the wrong side, driving under the influence of intoxication, stunt driving, and obscuring number plates.
Meanwhile, Major General Ali Al-Rasheedi, spokesman for the traffic police, said that if a driver is found speeding, he would be given three warnings via text messages, after that they will be asked to appear at the traffic office.
“If the person fails to appear at the given date and time, the department will automatically suspend all his traffic services, and slap a penalty”, he said.
According to Al-Rasheedi, the traffic department has already suspended services for a number of reckless drivers who exceeded the speed limit of 160 km/h. They have also been summoned by the police to face further action.
The action comes in the wake of a new mechanism called “blocking” which applies to those driving at high speed. They are not allowed to pay the fine through an ATM or online and must appear in person.
AG/IINA

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