Sana'a: The Traffic Police launched on Saturday the second, operational phase of its comprehensive campaign aimed at reducing the risks of underage driving of cars and motorcycles in the capital, Sana'a.
According to Yemen News Agency, the Traffic Police stated that its enforcement teams and field units deployed across the capital were able, on the first day of the campaign, to detect and impound 68 vehicles being driven in violation by minors. The move, it noted, aligns with leadership directives focused on enhancing public safety and protecting lives and property from traffic accident-related tragedies.
About a month and a half ago, the General Traffic Police, in cooperation with the General Department of Public Relations and Moral Guidance at the Ministry, had launched the first awareness phase of the campaign under the slogan: 'Until he reaches full maturity,' through media outlets, digital platforms, and field outreach to raise public awareness, warning parents of the consequences and dangers of allowing underage driving.
The Traffic Police emphasized that the transition to the enforcement phase followed the end of the awareness period, adding that the continued enabling of children to drive by some parents constitutes recklessness and disregard for applicable laws, turning means of transportation into "machines of death."
It also renewed its warning by citing official statistics recorded over the past five years, noting nearly 1,000 serious traffic accidents involving underage drivers, resulting in 1,970 deaths and 13,393 injuries, many of whom were left with permanent disabilities.
The Traffic Police stressed that, out of its religious, national, and legal responsibility, it will not tolerate any threat to public safety, confirming that enforcement measures will continue and legal accountability will apply to all violators.
It further urged all community sectors and parents to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities by preventing children from driving before the legal age, calling on schools, mosques, and media outlets to continue their awareness efforts on the issue.