Amendments to the Unified Standards on Handling Traffic Regulation Violations and Fines are to hold people who report traffic violations accountable, which would help with court proceedings, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said on Saturday.
The amendments are to take effect on Jan. 1, the ministry said.
Last year, 1.69 million traffic violations were reported by members of the public, accounting for 16 percent of all such reports, with illegal parking being the No. 1 issue, comprising 60 percent.
There has been an increase in reports, but many contain insufficient information, making them difficult to process, the ministry said, adding that some reports are made to get revenge, while others are made by people because people expect a reward.
Some violations generate as many as 30 reports, which adds to the workload of police offices that are already understaffed, it said.
Furthermore, anonymous reporting prevents courts from calling witnesses, it said.
To address the issue, the ministry said it has amended Article 20 of the regulations to demand that all reports be accompanied by proof of identity and contact details.
The amendments would allow courts to summon the person who made the report to give testimony, the ministry said, adding that this would help with legal proceedings.
A third item added to Article 20 would institute a seven-day time limit on reporting, the ministry said, adding that reports would be dismissed if the tipper fails to provide evidence or give a statement within seven days.
The amendments also removed a provision to Article 23 to allow authorities to disregard anonymous reports, the ministry said.
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