Cairo: Egypt’s cabinet has approved extensive amendments to the country’s traffic law, introducing tougher fines, licence suspensions, and prison terms for a wide range of violations, as the government moves to curb road accidents and tighten enforcement nationwide. Traffic Law No. 66 of 1973 has been revised with the aim to strengthen deterrence against dangerous driving, environmental offences, and licensing violations.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the amendments include administrative impoundment of vehicles operating without a valid license or with expired registration. Owners will be required to pay the full annual tax retroactively, plus an additional levy equal to one-third of the annual tax, capped at five years. The revised law also introduces increased fines for speeding and lane violations, ranging from EGP 2,000 to EGP 10,000, with escalating sanctions for repeat offenders.
Drivers who pollute roads by dumping waste or operate vehicles emitting excessive noise or harmful emissions will face fines of up to EGP 15,000. Repeat offences within six months will result in doubled fines, while a third violation within a year will lead to a one-year license suspension. More serious offences, such as driving without a circulation license or tampering with license plates, will be punishable by up to one year in prison and fines of up to EGP 5,000. Repeat offences will result in doubled penalties and mandatory imprisonment for third-time offenders.
The amendments also impose stricter penalties for driving without a valid driving license and violations related to learner and training provisions. Fines for some breaches could reach up to EGP 30,000. Additional changes target reckless driving by fast-transport vehicles, deliberate traffic obstruction, falsification of official data, and assaults on traffic officers, with penalties escalating to up to one year in prison for habitual offenders.
Government officials state that these amendments are part of a broader effort to improve road safety, reduce fatalities, and enforce compliance with environmental and traffic standards across Egypt’s road network. Despite a recent decline in fatalities, road accidents remain a major public-safety concern in the country.
According to data published by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), road-traffic deaths fell to 5,260 in 2024, down from 5,861 in 2023, marking a 10.3 percent year-on-year decrease. However, the number of people injured in road accidents rose to 76,362 in 2024, compared with 71,016 in 2023, an increase of about 7.5 percent. CAPMAS figures show that pedestrians accounted for the largest share of fatalities, while passengers recorded the lowest.
The fatality-to-injury ratio has declined, dropping from 8.3 deaths per 100 injuries in 2023 to 6.9 in 2024, while the death rate per 100,000 citizens fell from 5.6 to 4.9, reflecting gradual improvements in emergency response and road conditions. Officials attribute the majority of serious accidents to human factors, including speeding, failure to comply with traffic rules, unlicensed driving, and poor vehicle conditions, particularly among fast-transport and heavy-load vehicles.