a veteran mp, who left office after growing frustrated with repeatedly submitting proposals to grant the general traffic department the independence it deserves, said he first submitted his proposals in 1981, but they were rejected. he tried again in 1994, and the proposal was rejected a second time, despite being supported by the directors of the general traffic department at the time and later, including yousef al-saad, fouad musaed al-saleh, abdulhamid al-hajji, and thabet almuhanna.
the department should have an independent budget. since the majority of the general traffic department’s work is technical, there is no reason the director of the department cannot be a civilian employee, as is the case in britain. of course, the director could also be a military officer.
the officers and personnel of the general traffic department could form a highly trained, specialized force, similar to firefighters. training programs could be organized, both internally and externally, tailored to the duties of a traffic police officer, whether on patrol or managing traffic on the streets, and to interacting with drivers. the caliber of these personnel differs from their counterparts in other departments within the ministry of interior.
the significant increase in the number of vehicles, the resumption of family visits for residents, and the resulting expansion of the road network all make it necessary to have dedicated and independent traffic officers. the practice of assigning general security personnel to traffic management should be discontinued. traffic management requires specialized expertise that should remain within the department and not be transferred to other departments within the ministry of interior, as is currently the case.
structural and philosophical factors have led many developed countries to establish civilian and independent traffic authorities. the tasks of traffic management focus on regulating traffic flow, ensuring road safety, enforcing civil laws related to vehicles and drivers, and providing direct services to the community, such as issuing driver’s licenses and vehicle registration plates.
these tasks are primarily service oriented and administrative rather than security-related. for this reason, modern states tend to separate military and security functions, such as defense, combating organized crime, and national security, from civilian functions like health, education, transportation, and others. treating traffic departments as civilian entities avoids the rigidity and strict military discipline associated with them, allowing greater flexibility in cooperating and engaging with the community, and reducing the militarization of daily life.
in developed countries, traffic departments are managed according to modern scientific and administrative principles, including traffic analysis, smart management systems, decision-making frameworks, and the use of ai in traffic control. these tasks are not carried out under strict military discipline.
granting administrative independence to traffic departments enables them to cooperate more effectively with the private sector, municipalities, research centers, and smart transportation companies, while also enhancing transparency and accountability to parliamentary or municipal authorities.
moreover, the experience of developed countries has shown that introducing a military character into traffic departments often leads to a decline in service quality, and consequently, a decrease in effectiveness and public acceptance.
i would like to commend the deputy prime minister and minister of interior for his efforts to increase penalties for traffic violators, particularly for serious offenses.
we have seen cases where vehicles of violators were impounded. i suggest that, instead of simply impounding these vehicles, they should be confiscated and sold, with the proceeds benefiting the state.