Morocco to Require Payment of Traffic Fines Before Car Sales

Moroccans are not numerous in paying speeding fines. The unpaid fines amount to tens of millions of dirhams. To get offenders to pay their fines and strengthen the deterrent effect of speed cameras on the roads of the kingdom, the authorities are considering implementing a less coercive but more effective method: requiring any person wishing to sell their car to pay the speeding fines recorded by the fixed speed cameras.

The measure will come into effect soon, assures the Ministry of Justice. In the meantime, any person wishing to sell their car will only pay the unpaid taxes, in particular the Annual Special Vehicle Tax (TSAV), commonly known as the sticker. As soon as the new measure is effectively applied, potential sellers will also have to be in order with the justice system. Only 0.1% of fines are paid on the 66 million dirhams of unpaid fines.

The non-payment of fines constitutes a shortfall for the State, explained the Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, in February. His colleague from Transport and Logistics, Mohamed Abdeljalil, specified for his part that a draft amendment to the Highway Code is in the process of being prepared, also denouncing the high rate of deaths (more than 3,500) and injuries (12,000) due to road insecurity.