KUWAIT CITY, March 6: Deputy Undersecretary for Traffic Affairs in the Ministry of Interior Major General Mustafa Al-Za’abi says draft laws have been submitted to the Parliament and Cabinet to curb traffic congestion and deal with traffic violations.

During a press conference at General Traffic Department for announcement of the 29th Unified Gulf Traffic Week titled ‘Our purpose is Your Safety’ due to be held from March 10-16, Major General Al-Za’abi indicated that the draft laws will soon be presented to the First Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud for approval. He added that one among those proposals is to impose tough penalties to traffic violators.

He stressed that the Unified Gulf Traffic Week embodies solidarity, interaction and communication among the representatives of GCC countries. He said it cements unified goals for which every GCC representative is striving for in order to obtain a practical solution for the traffic issues.

He explained that the Unified Gulf Traffic Week is not about issuing of citations for violations, but it is focused on highlighting the daily routine and nature of duty of traffic officers, adding that it will serve both the citizens and expatriates.

He indicated that experiences and relevant information will be exchanged among the GCC representatives during the Unified Gulf Traffic Week, adding that officers and individuals with expertise were chosen to represent Kuwait in Unified Gulf Traffic Week held in other GCC countries.

Major General Al-Za’abi called upon the media to engage in constructive criticism aimed at resolving mistakes, affirming that the role of the information media is huge for continuously conveying traffic awareness to road users and reflecting the performance of the traffic officers.

He revealed that there are currently 57 traffic cameras distributed on the roads of Kuwait and 100 more will soon be installed.
He indicated that the radar cameras managed to record almost 21,000 violations in 2012, insisting, “These cameras are not magic wands that can end the problems on our roads”.
Meanwhile, Head of Public Relations and Moral Guidance Department and Acting Head of Media Security Department at Ministry of Interior Colonel Adel Al-Hashash expressed his hopes in the Unified Gulf Traffic Week for launching a new start in achieving desired goals for road safety and lesser number of accidents, through exchange of experiences of delegations from GCC countries.
Colonel Al-Hashash emphasized the readiness of the traffic sector to participate in the Unified Gulf Traffic Week in order to find solutions to the traffic problems and set up an effective traffic strategy.
He indicated that the security leaders of the country have prioritized the resolution of the traffic issue, considering it as an issue affecting the entire community.
Colonel Al-Hashash revealed that the Media Security Department has created awareness posters in various languages and prepared traffic statements for broadcasting on radios and televisions, adding that the department will distribute headsets of mobile phones to road users during the Traffic Week.