Rabat – Amid an increasing rate of traffic accidents in Morocco, the Government Council ratified on Thursday a bill that aims to review certain provision of the Highway Code in order to improve road safety.
The new bill abolished the rule punishing drivers for dangerous or illegal parking to jail for 48hours and replaced it with a fine.
The bill also amended the penalty of keeping a person in jail for 10 days for driving a car with no technical control, and replaced it with a penalty of forcing the driver to undergo the technical test, in addition to a fine.
Under the new bill, driving licenses will be seized only in cases of traffic accidents that are the result of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The new law requires victims of traffic accidents who submit medical certificates with a deficit for a period exceeding 21 days to undergo a counter medical examination to ensure the certificate’s accuracy.
On the other hand, the new bill hands down harsher penalties for using phone while driving, exceeding the speed limit by no more than 20 km/h, and driving in the wrong direction.
The bill also decreased the necessary period of time required to pass from driving license type B to obtain driving license type D to two years, rather than four years.
This bill was proposed by Minister-delegate in charge of Transport Mohamed Najib Boulif, after Minister of Equipment and Transport Aziz Rebbah deemed it necessary to review certain provisions of the Highway Code in consultation with professionals and civil society.
In 2012, Aziz Rebbah stressed that some fines provided for in the Highway Code are excessive, and that the withdrawal of the driving license, which is the only source of income for some professionals, is a serious problem for them, especially when they have to wait for months to get their licenses back.
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