Nearly 95,000 drivers in Kuwait were caught using handheld mobile phones while driving over five months, highlighting the continuing risks of distracted driving despite stricter traffic laws. According to statistics obtained by Al-Rai, authorities recorded 94,945 such violations between April and August 2025, out of 1,118,668 traffic violations during the period.
Colonel Fahd Al-Essa, director of the Traffic Awareness Department at the General Directorate of Traffic, said amendments to the Traffic Law and tougher penalties had produced encouraging results. Traffic accidents fell by 45 percent in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, while accident-related fatalities declined by 34 percent. Speeding and red-light violations also decreased following the implementation of the revised law, according to the official.
Al-Essa stressed that traffic regulations are intended not only to penalize offenders but also to protect lives and property. He urged motorists to avoid dangerous practices, including using mobile phones while driving, improper overtaking, failing to signal, stopping on pedestrian crossings and using road shoulders to bypass congestion. Authorities continue to emphasize that road safety depends on enforcement, public awareness and responsible driving. Even a brief glance at a phone can divert attention from changing road conditions and put drivers, passengers and pedestrians at risk.
