BEIRUT: Traffic police set up nationwide checkpoints to educate motorists on road safety ahead of a new traffic law that will go into effect next week.
Over the past week traffic police have erected checkpoints in Dora, Jounieh, and Jbeil, while checkpoints were erected Friday on the Airport Road and the northern town of Amioun.
Many Lebanese drivers are hopeful that the new traffic law, set to go into effect April 22, will reduce congestion and bring down the number of deadly accidents. Others are less optimistic.
Security officials have said they would initially target major offenses, and will gradually crack down on other infractions dictated by the law.
During the first phase, from April 22 until April 30, violations such as speeding, driving under the influence and reckless endangerment will be penalized.
The fines stated by the new law were set significantly higher than their predecessors, sparking wide-spread discontent among motorists and drawing the mockery of social media users.
In the new law, violations were classified under five categories with the penalties ranging from a LL50-100,000 fine for Category 1, to a LL1-3,000,000 fine with 1-24 months in jail for Category 5.
A 'points system' was also added to the traffic system, whereby points are deducted from the motorist's account with every violation committed.
Every motorist with a driving license initially possesses 12 points. When all points are lost, their driving license is confiscated for 6 months, during which the motorist is required to attend new mandatory driving lessons.
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