Meeting under Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, the cabinet endorsed a draft law amending provisions of the Traffic Law No. 66 of 1973, with officials saying the changes aim to strengthen deterrence against dangerous driving, environmental offences, and licensing violations.
Under the amendments, vehicles found operating without a valid licence or with an expired registration will be administratively impounded, while owners will be required to pay the full annual tax retroactively, plus an extra levy equal to one-third of the annual tax, capped at five years.
A cabinet statement said that the revised law also sharply increases fines for speeding and lane violations on designated roads, with penalties ranging from EGP 2,000 to EGP 10,000, while repeat offenders face escalating sanctions.
Drivers who pollute roads by dumping waste or construction debris, operate vehicles emitting excessive noise or harmful emissions, or transport unsecured or hazardous loads will face fines of up to EGP 15,000.
Repeat offences within six months will trigger doubled fines, while a third violation within a year will result in a one-year licence suspension.
More serious offences, including driving without a circulation licence, tampering with licence plates, using unauthorized plates, or concealing plate data, will be punishable by up to one year in prison and fines of up to EGP 5,000. Penalties will be doubled for repeat offences, with mandatory imprisonment for third-time offenders.
The amendments also introduce stricter penalties for driving without a valid driving licence, violations related to learner and training provisions, and breaches of regulations governing specific vehicle categories, with fines reaching EGP 30,000 in some cases.
Additional changes target reckless driving by fast-transport vehicles, deliberate obstruction of traffic, falsification of official data, operating unlicensed driving schools, and assaults on traffic officers, with penalties escalating to up to one year in prison for habitual offenders.
Government officials said the amendments form part of a broader effort to improve road safety, reduce fatalities, and enforce compliance with environmental and traffic standards across Egypt’s road network.
Road accidents remain a major public-safety concern in Egypt, despite a recent decline in fatalities.
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.
At the same time, 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, highlighting continued risks on Egypt’s roads despite improved survival rates.
CAPMAS figures show that pedestrians accounted for the largest share of fatalities, while passengers recorded the lowest.
The fatality-to-injury ratio also 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 have repeatedly attributed 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.
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