Traffic Violations & Penalties in Saudi Arabia

Many residents within Saudi Arabia may not be aware that a traffic violation will stop you from getting a visa or able to leave the country until paid. I personally know of individuals whose holiday plans or departure plans went awry due to having traffic violations. I highly recommend that anyone with a vehicle ensure their information is current so they can receive an SMS text message if a violation has occurred. Additionally, it is a good idea to always check the website before leaving the country. Traffic violations and the restrictions apply to both Saudis and nonSaudis.

Update your contact details In order to be notified on traffic violations recorded against them, all citizens and residents are required to update their contact details (Address, PO box and mobile numbers) at any of the sectors of the Ministry of Interior, so that they can settle such violations based on minimum penalty value within 30 days; if the violation is not settled during said period, the violator must pay the maximum fine amount as per the New Traffic Law. To update your contact details please click on the following link: http://eservices.moi.gov.sa/ES/Public/UpdateMobileVehicle.aspx Quick access to traffic fine using your mobile You can get to know the fine pending against your name sitting in the comfort of your home. If you are having a SAWA mobile phone (as most expats do), just type your iqama number and sms it to 88993. It would cost you SR1.5 and you will get a reply back in your mobile about the pending fine. If you are a Mobily subscriber, just type your iqama number and send an sms to 625555. You can also call 01-2928888 through your landline to know the status of your fine. Just follow the instructions after dialing this number. Once you know the fine amount, you have to go to either Al Rajhi Bank or Riyad Bank and pay the same. You can also do it online if you have an account in either of these two banks. Check Your Traffic Violations and Penalty The traffic violation in Saudi Arabia can be checked at the below mentioned website address. http://moi.gov.sa/wps/portal/!ut/p/c1/hc1NDoIwEAXgs3AA0kvbIFKqSBlUwU2pAtjmgi4MJ5fiDsT6szye_MGDWjd2b393b38MrsH6tAgRp63uU7OFKvWxkCKmJ 1yUSVg49V7MTaG2IJpjBNxxEBEybL6okFJuf6uv3bTzD69VD_5rAzKfz0m6aUoKGSWW0MYYyEXYmwAw874agplmGnlMHXnt9SKPoA9Na25c!/dl2/d1/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnB3LzZfNUNQQ0k4TTMxR1BVNzAyRj c0SkM2SzgwNTE!/

Violations & Penalties Class I Violations: Penalties for Class I Violations are imprisonment for 10 to 30 days, 300 to 900 S.R. fine or both. These violations are: Driving a vehicle without driving licence. Driving a vehicle without registration plates. Using forged registration plates. Obtaining a driving licence illegally. Driving in opposite direction. Driving under alcohol influence. Driving without using lights at night. Driving a vehicle without brakes. Escaping after being involved in an accident that caused injuries without reporting to Police.

Exceeding speed limit at inhabited regions. Driving at high speeds disregarding alarms. Breaking a traffic light or traffic man instructions. U-turning in prohibited areas. Disregarding emergency vehicles and VIP convoys. Over passing vehicles queue due to traffic jam. Over passing an exceeding vehicle in two-lane road. Over passing vehicles in turning points and uphill. Using strong lights while there are oncoming vehicles. Using horns illegally. Carrying heavy equipments in road without taking the necessary precautions. Using non-standard registration plates. Using vehicle for obscene purpose. Rallying without a previous permission from the authorities.

Class II Violations: Penalties for Class II Violations are imprisonment for 5 to 15 days, 150 to 500 S.R. fine or both. These violations are: Exceeding speed limit. Neglecting rules of overpass and oncoming vehicles. Changing speed or direction without using indicators.

Driving out of sub-street to main road without following necessary precautions. Stopping vehicle engine to move downhill. Ignoring priority rules in crossroads, bridges, tunnels and railways. Getting off a vehicle while engine running. Unlocking a vehicle in a downhill road. Using vehicles to pull motorcycles. Using defected brakes. Absence of brake lights or red triangle. Absence of indicators for long vehicles. Non stopping in check points. Carrying metal chains in public roads. Escaping after being involved in an accident that caused vehicle damage. Non rescuing injured individuals in case of accident. Carrying flammable material in tanker without fire extinguisher. Absence of front or rear registration plate. Absence of trailer's rear registration plate. Non-inspecting vehicles for road worthiness or registration. Non reporting changes that have been made to a vehicle. Using vehicle for unlicenced purposes. Using expired licence. Violating transportation fees. Non handing over possessions left by passengers to the police station. Leaving vehicle neglected on public road. Breaking military convoy on road.

Class III Violations: Penalties for Class III Violations are imprisonment up to 10 days, 300 S.R. fine or both. These violations are: Not renewing driving licence. Absence of vehicle registration documents or driving licence. Carrying animals without equipping vehicle with speed reducer or brakes. Causing traffic congestion by driving slowly. Not stopping for handicapped while crossing the road. Using brakes suddenly. Getting on/off moving vehicle. Washing vehicle on public road.

Repairing vehicle on public road though unnecessary. Using horn illegally. Violating parking rules. Stopping on railways. Installing illegal indicators and lights. Driving on lanes specified for other type of vehicle. Damaging traffic signals. Using defected wipers. Absence of mirrors. Non reporting damaged or unused vehicles. Absence of speedometer. Absence of factory plate. Using unreadable plates. Exceeding permitted loads. Driving vehicle without doors, engine hood or fenders. Transporting load with an open back door. Entering trucks into the city in illegal time. Using curtains on side or back windows. Leaving vehicle keys inside it. Not reducing speed while spotting animals. Driving on sidewalks. Driving bikes side by side in one lane. Not using helmet (motorbike drivers.) Not driving bike on right side of the road. Overloading bikes (more than 25 Kilograms.) Not equipping bikes with standard lights. Not equipping bikes with effective brakes. Driving slowly to search for passengers. Absence of fare meter in taxis. Absence of taxi rooftop light. Absence of standard signs on taxis. Exceeding number of permitted passengers. Unbuckling seat belt. Absence of insurance policy document. Committing illegal actions according to the Traffic Systems.

Saher Traffic system launched

Credit By WALAA HAWARI | ARAB NEWS Published: Apr 21, 2010 00:02 Updated: Apr 21, 2010 00:02

RIYADH: A state-of-the-art traffic management system that can monitor vehicles and track them using license plate recognition technology was launched on Monday. Saher, as the system is called, has been in development for a year and also monitors traffic violations as they happen. It works by requesting information from a database at the Riyadh Traffic Center, then issuing an automatic ticket whenever a traffic violation has been committed. However, there are concerns about the systems efficiency and whether it is using a comprehensive and up-to-date database of drivers details. One week before the Saher was launched; Riyadhs Traffic Department launched a road safety campaign in coordination with other cities in the Kingdom. However, many eyewitnesses noticed that during the campaign and while traffic police were monitoring traffic lights, violations were still occurring frequently. There are also concerns from the public over whether around 130 unmarked traffic police cars are enough to patrol such a large city and if expatriate motorists will be penalized differently. Arab News calls to Riyadhs traffic officials have been unanswered for three days. The penalty for motorists speeding through red lights was reformed in 2008. In the past, offenders were suspended from driving for 24 hours, in addition to a minimum SR500 fine that increased if it was not paid within a month. Now, only the fine remains. According to a paper presented at a forum on national road traffic safety in 2009, there were 4.3 million road accidents from 1989 to 2008 in the Kingdom, resulting in over 86,500 deaths and more than 610,000 injuries. Seven percent of survivors suffer at least one disability. More than 60 percent of road accidents are caused by reckless driving, while speeding through a red light causes 34 percent of accidents. It has been 16 years since a national forum on traffic safety was organized by the National Committee for Traffic Safety at King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology. The forum aimed to identify the causes of road traffic accidents and how to reduce them, yet the recommendations have taken a very long time to be implemented. The General Directory for Traffic revealed in its report in 2006 that every three hours, two people die on the Kingdoms roads.