AMMAN — The
Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) recently announced that it is considering a
new proposal to ban people from disputing the price of traffic violations. In
light of the proposal,
Jordan News spoke to experts about
the implications of such a proposal.
اضافة اعلان
Here is what they
said:
"This decision came
at a time when economic conditions are difficult for the citizen. The
municipality should have waited for the country to get out of the difficult
economic conditions and for citizens' salaries to be adjusted," said
Deputy Feras Al-Ajarmeh.
This decision, he said,
will add financial pressure on people. "It shows that the citizen's
interest is not a priority."
According to the
director of
GAM's Media Department, Nasser Rahamneh, the proposal was merely to
overturn the objection to the value of the ticket and not the ticket
itself.
Rahamneh emphasized, as
reported by Al-Mamlaka TV, that the proposal is not set in stone and that it
will ultimately be up to the judge to cancel a ticket.
GAM Mayor Yousef
Al-Shawarbeh, contended that the solution to traffic problems is to create
cooperative work between institutions and individuals. Current traffic laws, he
said, are achieving the desired results, which is why substantial amendments
will be made to the traffic law.
The proposal to cancel
the option of disputing the cost of traffic violations, he added, is to deter
people from repeating the offense.
GAM is working to
introduce artificial intelligence systems streets, he added. This will include
camera monitoring system installations to monitor violations in hopes of
reducing them.
'Unfair'Legal expert, Anas
Al-Daajah, told
Jordan News that the decision to prevent
violators from objecting to the price of their traffic ticket is "unfair
against the citizen".
"Violations can be
arbitrary. And that is something that can happen frequently," he added.
"This decision came at a time when economic conditions are difficult for the citizen. The municipality should have waited for the country to get out of the difficult economic conditions and for citizens' salaries to be adjusted. … It shows that the citizen's interest is not a priority."
Legally, any change to
the right to dispute traffic violation ticket price requires amending the
Traffic Law, Daajah said, noting that the law and the Constitution guarantee
the right for any citizen to object to any ruling issued against them.
"This is their right," he said.
It is also not
permissible as it is a "violation of the law and falls within the
jurisdiction of the judicial authority".
Legal expert, Hasan
Hattab, agrees with Daajah.
Canceling the
opportunity to object to the value of the traffic violations is considered
"stripping citizens of the right to defend themselves in the event they
feel they did not commit any violation based on applicable traffic laws,"
said Hattab.
This decision, he said,
falls under the idea of compulsory enforcement, and this constitutes a
"flagrant violation of human rights in terms of their right to
self-defense", he said.
"
Consequences of
this decision will return to the field of human rights," he added.
In 2021, data showed
that 1,241 traffic accidents happened in the Kingdom, resulting in 589 deaths
and 14,485 injuries.
Estimates also state
that nearly 30 traffic accidents happen in Jordan daily, causing an average of
48 injuries and more than one death per day.
The financial cost of
traffic accidents in the Kingdom reached JD320 million in 2021.
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