RIYADH — The General Directorate of Traffic started implementing a royal directive that mandates a 50 percent reduction in accumulated traffic fines, effective from Thursday, April 18. This is in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman. The reduction covers all violations committed before April 18, 2024 and all accumulated traffic fines must be settled within six months starting from April 18 until October 18, 2024 so as to benefit from this reduction. The discount allows the payment of fines either in one lump sum or separately for each violation. This landmark initiative is designed to alleviate the financial burden on citizens, expatriates, visitors, and GCC nationals by reducing penalties for all violations recorded up to the day before the reduction period begins. According to the royal decree, enforced by the Ministry of Interior, committing any of four specific violations during the reduction period would disqualify offenders from receiving the discount. These violations are drifting, driving under the influence of drugs or banned substances, exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h on roads with a speed limit of 120 km/h, or by more than 30 km/h on roads with a speed limit of 140 km/h. The Traffic Directorate revealed that article 75 of the Traffic Law will be applied to violations committed from April 18 onwards, offering a 25 percent reduction on single violations. Article 75 mandates imprisonment and enforcement if the fine is not paid after the objection period and the legally stipulated payment deadline expires. The payment of traffic violations appears automatically through the SADAD payment system and the Efaa platform, the directorate said while warning against dealing with any suspicious links, phone calls, and websites that claim to do the service.
