VZCZCXRO1263
RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTRO
DE RUEHAM #0356/01 0421034
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111034Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6886
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 1083

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 000356 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA AND OES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV TSPL PGOV JO
SUBJECT: Demarche on Distracting Driving - Jordan Has Legislative 
Base, But Enforcement Remains Uneven 
 
REF: A. STATE 6703 
      ¶B. 08 AMMAN 3139 
 
(U) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  ESTHOff delivered ref A demarche on distracted 
driving to officials at the Greater Amman Municipality and 
representatives of the traffic safety NGO Hikmat on February 3. 
Both work with a coalition of GOJ partners including the traffic 
police, Ministry of Interior, and Ministry of Education on improving 
road traffic safety.  Jordan adopted in 2008 a Road Safety Law which 
includes specific fines for driver distractions, among them cell 
phone usage.  Although no data is available, the law is sometimes 
enforced by the police who issue fines of 15 JD ($21) per 
infringement.  Jordan has also certified 2,200 civilians as "friends 
of the police" to issue tickets when they see a traffic infringement 
such as cell phone usage while driving.  There were steady gains in 
improving road traffic safety in 2009, with fatality rates dropping 
by almost 11% from 2008.  However, a new government has yet to make 
traffic safety a priority issue and without high-level attention, it 
will be a challenge to sustain the last two years' momentum on 
improving road traffic safety.  End Summary. 
 
Challenges to Sustaining Road Traffic Safety Gains 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Several high-profile traffic fatalities in 2007 and 2008 
focused considerable attention on road traffic safety from the King 
and the then Prime Minister whose intervention resulted in a 
significant decrease in the number of fatalities and serious 
injuries over the last two years (ref B).  The final 2009 statistics 
are still being compiled by the GOJ, but early estimates indicate an 
11% reduction in fatalities compared to 2008.  Essam Shahzadah from 
the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), who coordinates road safety 
initiatives with Jordanian government institutions, the Hikmat NGO, 
and other partners, noted, however, that it will be difficult to 
sustain the GOJ focus on this issue.  The previous Prime Minister 
convened almost monthly meetings of the traffic safety task force, 
but the new government, formed in late 2009, has yet to focus in 
depth on road traffic safety. 
 
Enforcement of Fines for Cell Phone Usage 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) The September 2008 Traffic Law No. 49 includes Article No. 
38 which provides for a fine of 15 JD ($21) for "the use of the 
phone while the vehicle is in motion if the phone, or part of it, is 
carried by hand."  This provision of the law has been enforced and 
an LES at Post attests to having received such a fine in 2009.  No 
statistics are available yet for the number of fines that have been 
issued under this provision.  The GOJ is also using a novel approach 
to increase the enforcement of this law.  Roughly 2,200 civilians 
have been certified by the Jordanian police as "friends of the 
police" and have the authority to issue tickets for traffic 
infringements, including the use of cell phones while driving. 
GAM's Shahzadah has this certification and attested to having issued 
five tickets over the last two years for cell phone usage.  A 
vehicle does not have to be stopped for these fines to be issued and 
the friends of the police can record the vehicle plate number and 
submit the citation to the police.  As a result, some citizens are 
often surprised when they go to renew their vehicle registration and 
find outstanding fines.  GAM has now introduced a web-site through 
which citizens can check any traffic-related fines issued for a 
vehicle. 
 
Outreach Campaign Indicates Cell Phone Challenge 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶4.  (U) A 2009 two-week outreach campaign, "Ana Multazem" (I am 
committed), inspected over 1,500 vehicles for cell phone usage, seat 
belt use, and music volumes.  If all of these were found to be in 
accordance with the guidelines, the vehicle would be issued an Ana 
Multazem sticker to be displayed on the windshield.  A "mock ticket" 
was issued for any infringements.  According to Hikmat, only 20% of 
the vehicles got the sticker, and at least 70% of the infringements 
were for cell phone usage. 
 
¶5.  (U) GAM continues to engage in additional outreach activities 
with the GOJ, NGOs, and the private sector and is focused on 
campaigns in school zones where a high number of accidents tend to 
occur as well as partnering with private sector organizations to 
sponsor pedestrian bridge construction at busy school intersections. 
 A teacher training program with the Ministry of Education is to 
launch shortly.  A road traffic center of excellence has been 
established between GAM, Hikmat and the German/Jordanian University; 
and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs offers several courses on 
improving road safety to government and civil society audiences. 
Shahzadah will also represent Jordan at a March 7 road safety 
 
AMMAN 00000356  002 OF 002 
 
 
conference in Tunis organized by the Arab Federation on Road 
Safety. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Comment:  Jordan has almost 100% cell phone penetration 
although this usage in not evenly distributed.  Some households have 
more than one cell phone per family member.  A general propensity to 
talk on cell phones while driving, coupled with increasing numbers 
of vehicles on the road indicate the continued challenge of reducing 
accidents resulting from distracted driving.  However, the presence 
of a legislative base, signs of some enforcement activity, including 
the novel friends of the police methodology and the private/public 
partnerships being practiced, contribute to an environment where USG 
collaboration could yield positive outcomes.  End Comment. 
 
BEECROFT