Traffic Points System drives motorists to ‘think twice’, say experts

AMMAN — Traffic experts say that they are hopeful that the reinforcement of the Traffic Points System (TPS) will push drivers to “think twice” before committing traffic violations.

The Public Security Directorate (PSD) earlier this week announced that it will revive the TPS, which was published in the Official Gazette in early 2018, in an effort to “improve the traffic situation in the country”.

During a visit to the Traffic Department on October 18, PSD Director Maj. Gen. Obaidallah Maaytah stressed the importance of applying the TPS firmly and fairly.

At the same time, Maaytah highlighted the importance of implementing traffic plans that prioritise addressing dangerous violations that threaten the lives of motorists.

“We welcome the PSD step because it will work to minimise traffic accidents and force motorists to think twice before committing a violation,” President of the Jordanian Society for the Prevention of Road Accidents Wafai Mseis told The Jordan Times. 

Traffic officials have said in the past that 589 people perished last year in some of the 160,600 traffic accidents in the Kingdom.

In the same year, 11,241 people were injured, including 737 with serious injuries.

The total cost of traffic accidents in 2021 stood at around JD320 million, Mseis said, adding that there are currently two million drivers and 1.8 million vehicles in the Kingdom.

Mseis noted that the TPS went through phases, whereby it was “implemented properly on some occasions, while in other occasions, it was put aside because of legal barriers”. 

The TPS will be applied after completing all electronic linkages, including the control and information systems at security centres as well as points and patrols, to ensure that traffic points are calculated legally and properly, the PSD recently announced.   

The number of points added to the driver's record depends on the seriousness of the offence, the PSD said, noting that no expenses or fines will be imposed as a result of activating the system.

As per the system, the driver's licence shall be suspended in the case that 16 points have been recorded within a single year, while all points will be removed if the offender records less than 16 points a year.

Driving licences are subject to a 60-day suspension if the points per year are greater than 16 and less than 20, and a 90 day suspension if points measure more than 20 and less than 24.

If the driver gets 24 points but less than 28, the licence will be suspended for 120 days.  A 180-day licence suspension period will be enforced in the case that 28 or more points are recorded.

Four points are assigned to violations related to driving against traffic, running red lights or exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 50kph.

On increasing monitoring, the traffic plan includes the expansion of road monitoring, increasing the number of traffic detectives and patrols equipped with electronic and automated monitoring systems.

Former minister of transport and former PSD traffic director Jamil Ali Salim Mujahed also praised the step, saying that “if applied in the proper manner, it would help alter motorists’ behaviours”.

“It is good that they are reinforcing the TPS, which we have worked on in the past, but it should be applied in a proper manner if we want to see real changes in the drivers’ attitudes,” Mujahed told The Jordan Times.

This, Mujahed maintained, requires the implementation of a comprehensive traffic plan that includes clear and specific roles for all parties, such as the entities responsible for planning and fixing the streets as well as law enforcement agencies 

Mujahed also said that it is vital to keep motorists up to date and informed of their driving records and acquired points. 

“It is of extreme importance for drivers to keep track of their driving record, because this will surely affect the way they drive and will make them watchful before committing a violation,” Mujahed stressed.