Zero tolerance to traffic offences in Oman

Muscat: Oman has adopted a zero tolerance approach to motoring offences with a raft of new laws to jail errant drivers and hit them in the wallet.
Read here: OMR 500, jail term for reckless driving in Oman
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said had issued Royal Decree 38/2016 on Thursday. In some cases, the new fines are almost ten times the previous level.
The fines and jail sentences have been introduced with the aim of preventing accidents and saving lives due to reckless driving, driving under the influence and negligence.
Motorists have 30 days from Sunday to prepare. The Royal Oman police will begin enforcement from September 4.
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After that date, the lowest jail term will be 10 days while the maximum sentence is two years and fines range from OMR100 but could reach OMR3,000. At the moment the fine for using a phone while driving is just OMR35. After September 4, that will rise to OMR300.
Article 49 states that drivers caught with a mobile phone “in hand” can face 10 days in jail or a fine of up to OMR300. The same goes for any piece of electrical equipment.
Commenting on this amendment, Mark Pudwell, Business Development and Training Manager at Competence HR and a fire and safety expert, said, “Most drivers know that the use of handheld mobile phones while driving a vehicle is illegal and morally wrong and those who complain about the severity of the sanctions are often those who disregard the law.”
Fines that go up to OMR3,000 and jail terms that reach two years will be implemented if an accident takes place and the victim either dies or is permanently disabled as a result of negligence, drunk driving or recklessness.
Article 50 states that imprisonment for no less than 10 days and not more than two months and a fine of not less than OMR100 and not more than OMR 500, or either of these punishments, will be given to those who drive fast and recklessly, or dangerously, or risks others’ lives or put property in danger, or overtake dangerously and in a no overtaking zone, or overtaking from the shoulder of the road.
The same punishment is imposed on those who carry out the aforementioned acts and cause another’s illness or force him out of work for a period of no less than 30 days.
If the act causes an illness or prevents someone from working for more than 30 days, the punishment shall be imprisonment for a period not less than 1 month and no more than four months and a fine of no less than OMR100 and no more than OMR500 or either of these punishments.
If the acts carried out caused the death of a person or permanent disability then imprisonment shall be for a period of no less than six months and not more than two years and a fine not less than OMR1,000 and not more than OMR3,000, or either of these punishments.
Article 50, which deals with driving under the influence, states a jail term of between one and six months and a fine between OMR400 and OMR800 for those who drive vehicles under the influence of alcohol or any psychotropic substances.
If the acts carried out resulted in another person’s illness or forced him out of work for more than 30 days, the violator shall be imprisoned for no less than six months and not more than one year, and fines ranging from OMR600 to OMR1,200.
If the acts carried out resulted in death of another person drivers face three years in prison fines up to OMR3,000.
Negligent driving will be punished with fines up to OMR300.
A senior Royal Oman Police official said that these punishments should help in preventing accidents and loss of life.
“People will be more aware of themselves and the fines they could receive. This would definitely help curb the number of accidents, injuries and deaths,” said the ROP official.
“Some of the people cannot afford to pay the fines, so they would need to be more careful and follow the rules from now on,” he added, saying that most people’s salary in Oman range from OMR400 – OMR600 and one fine could deliver a huge blow to their finances.
Deter drivers
Pudwell added, “The only way to deter drivers from unsafe and reckless practices is to create a law that recognises the serious nature and effects and severely punish those that flaunt it.”
“Prior to this amended statute, Oman had some of the lowest sanctions for certain unsafe driving offences which were clearly not an effective deterrent. The new laws will discourage the use of handheld phones which will directly impact upon reducing the number of deaths and injuries on our roads,” he said.
Since the beginning of 2016 until the end of June a total of 2100 accidents took place which left 336 people dead. That translates to two deaths per day, according to data from the National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
The number of deaths has increased by 8.4 per cent compared to 310 of the same period last year.
Omani deaths registered a 4.3 percent rise with 219 recorded while expatriate deaths due to road accidents rose by 17 percent with 117 during the first half of this year.
According to statistics from the ROP, 6279 accidents were registered in 2015 with 675 dead and 3624 injured.
Speed, improper actions and neglect were the top three causes of accidents in 2015 which resulted in the death of 458 Omanis and 217 expatriates.
Supporting the new law, resident Sanjay Ratna said, “I support it totally; it has been a long time coming and hope to see fewer accidents and deaths on the streets of Oman. But again if so many people ‘’break’’ the law in the beginning where will they be held..?”
Rumaitha, an Omani citizen, said, “It’s about time the society knew what the penalties are for doing something they consider the norm.”