Cabinet approves draft amendments to traffic law

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday approved a slew of draft amendments to the traffic law for the year 2023 during a session chaired by Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh.

Notable amendments include categorising traffic accidents as “unintentional accidents”, while deliberate collisions are not to be categorised as traffic accidents for the purposes of the traffic law, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Due to the advancements in traffic operations, vehicles that do not require a licence were added to the draft law, such as non-road vehicles and motorised children’s toy vehicles.

The amendments also granted the concerned authorities the power to impound vehicles for over 48 hours, and it extended the maximum period of vehicle confiscation from 24 hours to 30 days, with the exact period to be decided by the relevant authority.

The Chief of the Public Security Directorate (PSD) was also given the power to impound vehicles for two weeks, depending on the type of violation.

Penalties for repeat offences due to negligence have increased. Fines for the offence of using a mobile phone while operating a vehicle have increased from JD15 to JD50. 

Additionally, running a red light will result in imprisonment for one to two months and a fine of between JD200 and JD300. In case of repeat offences within the span of one year, the penalty will be doubled.

Smoking while driving a public vehicle will result in a penalty of JD10, and the same applies if the driver permits passengers to smoke in the public vehicle.  

For exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/h, drivers will be imprisoned for one to three months and a will be fined JD100, with the fine to be doubled in the case of a repeat violation within one year.

Celebratory vehicle processions are also considered traffic violations that carry a penalty ranging from JD50 to JD100 instead of the previous JD30.

PSD personnel now hold the authority to conduct drug and alcohol tests in the case of a driver’s arrest, while the minister and PSD chief are granted the power to suspend a driver’s licence for reasons related to falsifying documents, causing deliberate collisions, accidents caused by negligence that lead to death or disability and driving under the influence. The minister and PSD chief are also able to withhold the issuance of a driver’s licence as a penalty for driving without a licence or driving with an unqualified licence. 

A higher council for road safety has been established, including representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Local Administration, Ministry of Transport, the Land Transport Regulatory Commission, the Greater Amman Municipality and two representatives of the private sector.

The council is responsible for approving the national strategy for road safety and its executive plan, coordinating with official and private entities for joint efforts to ensure that duties and responsibilities are fulfilled, studying traffic impact and amending legislation.

If violations involve driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving without a licence, or driving with an unqualified licence for another vehicle, the court is prohibited from rescinding an individual’s sentence even if the victimised party chooses to drop charges.

If the court decides to replace imprisonment with a fine, the fine must conform to mandatory minimums in cases in which a court determines a sentence reduction. Likewise, monetary penalties must not be combined.

The draft law also allows evidence obtained via electronic means to be admissible in judicial proceedings to provide proof of traffic violations.