Traffic authorities plan to instal 500 additional cameras as part of a major drive to create a more disciplined traffic system, it has been revealed.
Bahrain is steadily progressing toward further establishing its position among the leading countries in traffic safety, General Directorate of Traffic director of traffic culture Major Khalid Buqais said in an interview on the television programme Shams Al Bahrain yesterday.
The move comes as part of sweeping reforms to Bahrain’s Traffic Law and aims to deter reckless driving and enhance road safety by enforcing stricter consequences for life-threatening behaviour behind the wheel.
The new measures are being implemented as part of directives by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to tighten penalties related to traffic violations and accidents resulting in serious injuries or fatalities.
He further explained that the new legislative project includes a review of the minimum and maximum thresholds for fines and custodial penalties, in addition to introducing supplementary penalties such as licence suspension and vehicle confiscation.
These measures will apply particularly to violations that result in serious injuries or fatalities, or involve severe traffic offences such as running red lights, reckless driving, and excessive speeding.
He also highlighted the importance of continuous public awareness, stressing that educational media campaigns play a key role in fostering individual responsibility. He noted that traffic awareness begins at home and in schools and must be integrated with official efforts, adding that awareness is not a choice but a societal necessity for promoting responsible driving behaviour.
The GDN earlier reported that MPs had called for a comprehensive review of the Traffic Law following the recent rise in accidents, many of which have claimed the lives of citizens and residents as well as caused substantial damage to properties.
On May 30 in Saar, a man, later confirmed to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol, suddenly veered into the opposite lane and collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle in which a man, his wife and three children were travelling.
The 40-year-old father, Ahmed Al Orrayedh, and his wife Fatema Al Qaidoom, aged 36, died in hospital due to their critical injuries, while their young seven-year-old son Abdulaziz succumbed to his wounds two weeks later, on June 13.
A bus driver, whose allegedly reckless behaviour caused the death of two men and injury to three other people on Saturday morning, had been provisionally detained, as also reported by the GDN.