Kuwait Times

Published Date: August 04, 2007
By Nancy Oteifa, Staff writer

KUWAIT: A draft law criminalizing motorists for using mobile phones while driving that was announced recently, has suddenly become a cause for concern among several residents in Kuwait. Officials at the Traffic General Department are said to be taking the issue into serious consideration and seem adamant in penalizing all those who use their mobile phones while driving, claiming that it's one of the major causes of accidents in Kuwait. The draft law of course has not been finalized yet, and officials claim
that it has also not been ascertained whether there would be traffic fines to be paid or jail sentences or even both.

Although it is also not confirmed if this law would be enforced or not many people seem to be against its enforcement, while some others were in agreement - with the hope that this might reduce the increasing number of accidents occurring in the country every day. This Kuwait Times reporter spoke to people on the issue where they expressed different opinions and comments.

Shayma, an Egyptian in her late 20s working for NBK, said, "Usually I don't talk on my mobile a lot while driving, but when something urgent comes up, I have to use the phone. I don't like using the hands-free or the Bluetooth devices, because they disturb me and I get headaches from using them. It's unfair to make people pay fines or even end up in jail for using mobile phones to make urgent calls." Enforcing this new law of criminalizing motorists for using their mobile phones while driving may not be ve
ry successful, because many drivers will lie to the policemen and fool them by avoiding their usage whenever they spot them.

I don't think criminalizing motorists for using their mobile phones while driving would be a successful idea, as people would deal with the issue in the same way they deal with wearing seat belts. Many motorists in Kuwait don't use seatbelts but when they see any policemen around, they immediately strap them on. I believe not using mobile phones while driving would not change anything and would bear the same results, as drivers will not use their phones in front of the cops so they won't get caught." said
Hamad a Kuwaiti in his early 30s who works in one of the insurance companies.

Some people said they keep talking on the phone while driving because they feel bored while either being stuck in traffic jams or while waiting at traffic lights. Some said they talk because they were afraid of falling asleep while driving long hours. Yasmin, a Lebanese who works as a makeup artist said, "I work in Shuwaikh and I live in Mahboula, and sometimes I feel bored and tired from driving. So I call my friends and chat till I reach home. In this way I don't feel sleepy while driving all the way on
the Fahaheel Expressway. I try to break the daily monotony in Kuwait.

The same thing happens when I am on the Fourth Ring Road as the road is usually choc-o-bloc due to traffic jams. So I pick up my mobile and talk to some friends, instead of doing nothing." The main problem in talking on mobiles while driving lies in the fact that drivers lose their concentration which leads to accidents, not to mention the other agony caused by accidents - which are the horrible traffic jams.

Noora, an employee of one of the Arabic newspapers, thinks that such a law is very important because most drivers can't concentrate on the road when they are talking over the phone, especially if they are driving fast, they lose their concentration and ability to control the car in case anything happens. "I even hate it more when drivers talk on their mobiles while driving in the fast lane, and drive very slow. They don't pay any attention to the road, nor do they care about the other cars approaching fast
who have the right to drive in the fast lane," she said.

Most motorists who talk while driving are reportedly women. So enforcing such a law would definitely deter them from talking while driving especially if it involves jail terms. Eventually they would cease to use their mobiles while driving and concentrate more on the road instead of talking about fashion or gossip.

Talal said, "I think ladies talk a lot while driving, maybe because they want to grab men's attention, or maybe because they enjoy their gossip. But I am pretty sure that most of the accidents in Kuwait involve women who are busy talking on their phones while driving. When men talk on the phone they don't spend hours like women.

Mobile phones should be used only in cases of emergencies while driving and if talking on the phone while driving has turned into a habit, then motorists can always use their hands-free sets, and still concentrate on their driving. Abdul Aziz averred, "I don't like using hands-free as I don't feel comfortable, as I feel that I am talking to myself not on the phone. I also believe that hands-free sets are worse and more dangerous than talking directly into mobiles.

Abd Al-Muhsen who owns a garage in the Shuwaikh industrial area gave his opinions saying, "Most of the cars in Kuwait are equipped with automatic gears and not manual which means that motorists do not have to use both hands while driving. I don't think that enforcing this law - not to talk on mobiles while driving would be a good idea, because we can hold the phone in one hand and drive with the other, and anybody who is not capable of balancing this act, then he or she shouldn't be driving a car in the fi
rst place.