Kuwait is looking to AI as it aims to curb traffic problems, following a report pointing to more than 3.1m violations in the first half of the year.
Dangerous driving habits are widespread on Kuwait’s roads with speeding and phone use are the most common violations, which in turn demands an urgent attention, raising awareness and enforcing law and regulations to ensure public safety.
Accidents resulting from other’s mistakes or unexpected road incident occur almost daily, often leading to causalities, injuries, financial losses, frequently caused by reckless behaviour, violations, or carelessness.
Kuwait traffic violations
In response, Ministry of Interior (MoI) is making efforts to tackle these challenges, through strict traffic laws, with and presenting advance technologies the government aims to establish better traffic system, minimise injuries and damages.
Statistics from the Ministry of Interior showed that, between January 1 and June 30, 2024, the total number of speeding violations in Kuwait’s six governorates exceeded 1.5m.
The report, issued by the Kuwait Ministry’s Traffic Planning and Research Department, revealed that more than 93 percent of traffic accident during this period were caused by distracting-driving, while 7 per cent were due to other factors.
In total, there were 3,100,638 violations recorded in the first half of 2024. Director of Traffic Awareness Department at (MoI) Colonel Fahad Al Issa said that one of the one of the main causes of distracted-driving is the use of phone.
He confirmed in the first half of 2024, more than 30,000 violation for phone use while driving were recorded.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras have been installed to monitor seatbelt use phone use while driving, there are currently 252 of these cameras spread across the six governorates, aimed at reducing traffic violations and ensuring the safety of both citizens and residents, Colonel Al Issa said.
He stressed the importance of wearing seatbelts, avoiding speeding and stopping the use of a phone while driving. He also urged drivers to ensure that children are seated in the back for their safety and maintaining safety distance to prevent collisions during sudden stops.
Assistant Director of the Traffic Awareness Department Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Bo Hassan said that the department has intensified traffic safety campaigns across various media outlets, including television, radio, print, and social media platforms, to raise awareness on this issue.
The new AI cameras aim to enhance road safety by effectively detecting violations, ensuring compliance with traffic laws, he added.
Lieutenant Colonel Bo Hassan emphasised the importance of raising a strong traffic safety culture among drivers, adhering to traffic rules, wearing seatbelts, and avoiding phone use while driving to safeguard themselves and other road users.
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