Mandating reasons for new road monitoring by-law approved

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday approved the mandating reasons for the road monitoring by-law, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In a joint press conference with Education Minister Omar Razzaz, Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani said that the by-law's mandating reasons stress the need to intensify the monitoring of roads and to ensure the conducting of technical and safety evaluations of roads to reduce accidents. 

The by-law also stipulates increasing clamp downs on bad driving practices, noting last week's road accident on the desert highway in which several people were killed.

The accident was caused by driver  error and bad driving, as well as  a failure to carry out regular vehicle checks, according to the minister.

After several complaints from residents about the bad condition of the highway, the government is working to renovate it in two  urgent phases, fixing to the most damages sections and then complete overhauling the whole road, Momani said.

Last week a ministerial team visited Qatraneh in Karak governorate to inspect the site of the three-vehicle accident on the desert highway that killed eight people and injured 19 others, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The team comprised ministers of interior, housing and transport Ghaleb Zu’bi, Sami Halaseh and Hussein Al Souob, in addition to Public Security Department Director Maj. Gen. Ahmad Sarhan Faqih. Zu’bi said there will be new measures to limit traffic accidents and no leniency will be shown to violators of traffic laws.

On the sidelines of the visit, he held a meeting in Qatraneh police station and recommended establishing two security checkpoints, one to the north and one to the south, in order to test mainly large vehicles, as well as drivers’ physical and mental fitness.