No law against smoking or eating while driving but punishable under ‘inattentive’ category

Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Bu Hassan, Acting Director of the Traffic Awareness Department at Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior, clarified there is no specific legal provision punishing smoking or eating while driving.

However, he emphasized that if these actions cause a driver to become distracted or inattentive, they may be cited for a traffic violation under the category of “inattention.”
In a press statement, Bu Hassan highlighted the significant positive impact of the newly implemented traffic law, noting a 75% decrease in recorded traffic violations and a 55% drop in road fatalities compared to May of last year.

Meanwhile, the General Traffic Department’s Operations Sector — under the field supervision of Major General Yousef Al-Khudda, Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic and Operations Affairs — continues to enforce widespread traffic and security campaigns across internal and external roads in all governorates.

According to Bu Hassan, intense efforts by traffic patrols led to the issuance of 22,540 traffic violations over the past week.

The authorities also arrested 76 reckless drivers, referred 179 vehicles and 70 motorcycles to the impoundment yard, and sent 64 juveniles to the Juvenile Prosecution Office after they were caught driving without licenses.

The campaigns are part of an ongoing strategy to enhance road safety, enforce the law, and deter reckless driving behavior.