On our streets, which are known for daytime congestion and nighttime silence, thousands of vehicles move as if walking on the edge of danger. Unlicensed vehicles, without technical inspections, and without insurance carry inside them the possibilities of breakdown and surprise, and leave behind a big question hanging in the air: How did we reach this alarming number of unlicensed vehicles, and what drives their owners to risk themselves and others?
Talking about approximately three hundred thousand unlicensed vehicles is not just a passing figure in a report, but a significant indicator of an economic and social reality that presses on people to the limit. In Jordan, a vehicle has ceased to be a luxury or a sign of opulence and has become a compelling necessity and an indispensable means for managing life, work, transporting children, and facing daily requirements that do not forgive those who lag behind.
But behind this reality lies a deeper story. A story of living hardships that haunt the heads of families, and salaries exhausted by bank loans almost before they reach the pockets of their owners. Housing loans, educational loans, and endless obligations have reached a point where the salary passes insignificantly, leaving a trace only on the deduction statements. Then come the bills for water and electricity, communications, the cost of food, and the major disaster when there is a university student at home sitting at the study desks, holding a legitimate dream but adding a new burden on a budget that barely makes ends meet.
Amidst all this, the head of the family stands perplexed, weighing options, and the mind blazes with thinking: Which is more important? Rent for the house or licensing the vehicle? University tuition or car insurance? Household essentials or traffic fines that have become difficult to escape? Here, in this harsh moment, the household and its requirements prevail, not out of luxury or recklessness but out of necessity, so the vehicle is postponed, its license is postponed, and the infraction is set aside, until God wills a way out.
In this context, it is impossible to ignore the traffic violations that have added insult to injury. The violation is no longer just a deterrent measure but has transformed in many people's eyes into a new financial burden added to a mountain of commitments. With the accumulation of violations, then adding the costs of licensing, insurance, and inspection, the total becomes staggering, a major catastrophe that pushes some to escape forward, continuing to drive with an expired vehicle license despite being fully aware of the risks involved.
However, the danger here is not limited to the vehicle owner alone. A vehicle without a technical inspection could turn into a deadly tool at any moment, and a vehicle without insurance opens a wide door to the loss of rights and leaves the victims facing a painful legal void. It's a harsh equation whose cost is borne by everyone: the driver, pedestrians, the state, and society as a whole.
From this point, approaching this issue cannot be limited to the logic of condemnation or the language of the stick alone. People are not demanding a waiver of the licensing fees or even a reduction but are looking forward to an exceptional, smart legislative or administrative precedent that addresses the core of the problem. Considering a full or partial exemption from accumulated violations for a specific period could be the key to the solution. A motivational decision that restores confidence and opens the door for thousands of vehicle owners to head to licensing centers to rectify their statuses, instead of remaining in a circle of fear and infraction.
The presence of this enormous number of unlicensed vehicles is a real danger to the safety of the roads and the lives and souls of Jordanians, and it is an alarm bell that calls for careful and responsible attention from decision-makers. When citizens feel that the government stands by their side, understands their constraints, and shares their concerns, they will be the first to initiate compliance and keenest on road safety and respecting the law.
In conclusion
This issue cannot be resolved by numbers alone but by understanding people and their reality. A wise, balanced, and encouraging decision could turn the crisis into an opportunity and bring hundreds of thousands of vehicles back under the umbrella of the law, protecting lives, safeguarding rights, and affirming that the safety of our roads is a shared responsibility, not borne by one party alone but completed by the citizen and the state when the law meets compassion, and order meets the awareness of reality.!!!
