Traffic Penalties Deter Reckless Drivers
For years, our streets have suffered from chaotic and insane traffic conditions, causing accidents, casualties, and injuries, not to mention the loss of lives and property, until people became afraid to leave their homes. If they did venture out, they did so with their hearts in their hands, fearing the unknown at the hands of a single “reckless driver” who treats his own life and the lives of others as cheap, driven by a recklessness that rarely crosses the minds of passersby. The high accident rates over those years bear witness to the dangers that threatened road users.
The recent traffic measures aimed at deterring reckless lawbreakers on the streets—such as speeding, drug abuse, and general disregard for safety—were introduced to curb every offender, whether motivated by arrogance, impulsiveness, or unfamiliar and inappropriate behavior. These measures also serve to uphold the state’s authority by enforcing the law against anyone who believes they are beyond accountability and legal punishment, meting out the penalty they deserve and deterring both the offender and their vehicle.
Anyone who compares the daily accidents and violations on the streets in recent years with the current situation will notice a significant drop in accidents, reckless driving, running red lights, and speeding. All these, and more, have been curbed by traffic penalties, whether through “clamping” the vehicle of the reckless driver in full view, alongside penalties such as imprisonment, vehicle impoundment, and driver’s license suspension, as well as deporting offending foreigners and banning them from entering the country. This is what we have long hoped for and awaited for years, because this group—unfortunately lacking in the home environment the upbringing that instills respect for traffic laws and the safety of others—requires a deterrent penalty that teaches them the meaning of discipline on the road, replacing recklessness and disregard.
As the saying goes, “Every transgression has its transgressor.” Before blaming and criticizing those who violate street discipline and fail to respect traffic rules and regulations, it is incumbent upon us to hold families accountable. Parents who hand over a car to their children and leave them “free to roam” with it on the streets bear responsibility. Parental upbringing is the first step toward children’s discipline; if it is absent, one can only say, “Peace be upon the children.” Long may you live.
Yousef Al-Shahab
