Driving in Saudi

I would advise all expatriates to never ever drive your vehicle without a license and an insurance. You must always carry these along with you, including your istemara (car registration card). Make sure that you have a photocopy of your iqama always in the car, because you will have to attach this with other documents in the police station. Preferably, go in for a comprehensive insurance, rather than a third party insurance which is mandatory.

To read more about road safety in Saudi, click here Road Safety (Working in Saudi Arabia).

Car-owning expatriates working in Saudi Arabia must be aware of the term MVPI. It stands for Motor Vehicles Periodic Inspection. Whether you want to buy or sell a car or simply renew your vehicle's registration (Istemara), you simply cannot miss the MVPI.

Read more about it at MVPI (Working In SaudiArabia).

Kena Saman

Ini lah dia saman pertama aku kat Saudi ni... SR500 !! Banyak tu... padan muka aku. Kat Malaysia pun paling tinggi kena RM300, itupun boleh mintak kurang. Tak tau lah berapa banyak aku excced dia punye speed limit 120 km/hr kat highway hari tu, hampir dengan exit ke Badar dari Jeddah balik ke Yanbu.

Moral of the story, drive lah within the speed limit. Tapi bawak 120km kat sini macam bawak 80 je...

Sini aku ada extract kesalahan-kesalahan traffic Class 1 punye...

Traffic Violations & Penalties on Class 1 ni is the most severe. Maximum fine SR900 or worst imprisonment.

Class I Violations:
Penalties for Class I Violations are imprisonment for 10 to 30 days, 300 to 900 S.R. fine or both.

These violations are:
Driving a vehicle without driving licence.
Driving a vehicle without registration plates.
Using forged registration plates.
Obtaining a driving licence illegally.
Driving in opposite direction.
Driving under alcohol influence.
Driving without using lights at night.
Driving a vehicle without brakes.
Escaping after being involved in an accident that caused injuries without reporting to Police.
Exceeding speed limit at inhabited regions.
Driving at high speeds disregarding alarms.
Breaking a traffic light or traffic man instructions.
U-turning in prohibited areas.
Disregarding emergency vehicles and VIP convoys.
Over passing vehicles queue due to traffic jam.
Over passing an exceeding vehicle in two-lane road.
Over passing vehicles in turning points and uphill.
Using strong lights while there are oncoming vehicles.
Using horns illegally.
Carrying heavy equipments in road without taking the necessary precautions.
Using non-standard registration plates.
Using vehicle for obscene purpose.
Rallying without a previous permission from the authorities.

To find out the other type of violations, you may visit http://www.moi.gov.sa/wps/portal/

Here you may also check your fine and other queries.

My New Toy...

After waiting for two weeks, finally my brand new Toyota Fortuner has arrived. What a relieved!!! So, it will be double joy for the coming raya.... heee...hee... however, the color was not one of my preferred choice... ever heard greyish brown?

Baru je ambik dari kedai... masih berbalut dengan plastik lagi. Berbeza bila ambik kereta baru kat Malaysia... customer service dia orang masih jauh ketinggalan...