MP Seeks Driver Liability for Rental Fines

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A proposal to place traffic fines on car renters rather than rental firms is being studied by Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee.

Submitted by MP Abdulwahid Qarata, the proposal would see fines logged against the person driving the hired vehicle, not the company that owns it.

It calls for an electronic link between the Ministry of Interior and car rental firms, with each renter entered in the traffic system as the car’s user from the time the hire contract is signed until the vehicle is returned.

The proposal deals with a long-running problem in the car hire trade. Fines are often tied to the vehicle, which is registered in the company’s name, even when the offence is carried out by a customer.

The explanatory note says firms can end up paying for offences they did not commit, then struggle to recover the money from renters. The problem is harder when expat customers leave Bahrain before the fine is paid.

It adds that unpaid fines can pile up on company records and delay the renewal of vehicle licences, leaving firms to deal with costs and paperwork caused by someone else’s driving.

Under the proposal, rental companies would have to upload electronic hire contracts to the traffic system, along with the renter’s details, driving licence, ID card and rental dates.

Once entered, any offence during the rental period would be recorded against the renter as the driver. The owner company would carry the fine only when no renter is listed, such as during gaps between contracts.

The proposal also seeks an online platform allowing rental firms to follow fines tied to their vehicles and deal with them before they pile up.

Mr Qarata has asked for the system to be modelled on one used in a neighbouring Gulf state. Under that model, the online rental contract places the car in the renter’s custody in traffic records until it is handed back.

The explanatory note says the change would make legal liability clearer, help rental firms and the transport trade, improve the collection of traffic fines, and cut road offences.