CTD urges motorists to settle fines after Tawjihi celebrations

AMMAN – The Central Traffic Department (CTD) on Wednesday urged motorists who were issued tickets for traffic violations during Tawjihi celebrations to settle their fines. 

Traffic officers issued 2,220 tickets and impounded 48 vehicles in the hours following the announcement of General Secondary Education Certificate Examination results on July 24, the Public Security Department (PSD) said. 

The tickets were issued for reckless driving, celebratory gunfire, car processions, hanging dangerously out of car windows and beeping horns, as students celebrated their results, the PSD said in a statement. 

Maj. Jalal Rahahleh, director of public relations at the CTD, urged motorists who were issued tickets to pay their fines, noting that “a good number” of drivers had not done so. 

If stopped by traffic patrols, motorists with outstanding fines could face a further financial penalty and a referral to the administrative governor, and could have their vehicle impounded for 14 days, Rahahleh told The Jordan Times.  

Rahahleh noted that many tickets are issued during this time of year, as Jordanians drive in convoys to celebrate events like exam results and weddings, often hanging out of car windows. 

Such convoys are prohibited because they obstruct the traffic flow and cause safety risks, he added.  

Helicopters were deployed to watch for violations during the recent Tawjihi celebrations for the first time, Amman Traffic Department Director Col. Basem Kharabsheh said in earlier remarks to The Jordan Times. 

He noted that the helicopters were fitted with cameras to detect traffic violations like reckless driving, obstructing traffic and celebratory car processions.