RIYADH: The Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia has approved an amendment to Article 74 of the Kingdom’s traffic regulations, introducing stricter penalties for violations deemed dangerous to public safety.
According to Akhbar 24, the cabinet unanimously passed the changes during its recent session, stipulating that offenders of serious traffic violations could face imprisonment of up to one year.
In the case of expatriates, such violations may also lead to deportation and blacklisting.
Under the amended law, the cabinet has authorized the Ministry of Interior to expel any foreign national if a final court ruling establishes their involvement in a traffic offense endangering public safety.
In addition, the violator would be permanently barred from re-entering the Kingdom.
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The cabinet further mandated the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the Public Prosecution to jointly draft the necessary regulations to implement these provisions.
The amendment also states that if a violation is repeated within the same year, the fine will be doubled. A third offense within the same year will be referred to court, where penalties and fines will be determined based on the circumstances.