{"id":9809,"date":"2026-10-28T16:12:40","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/drifting-penalty-saudi-arabia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T16:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:15:18","slug":"drifting-penalty-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/drifting-penalty-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"Drifting Penalty in Saudi Arabia: Impound, Fine and Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.usus-tbl{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;max-width:760px;margin:12px 0 20px;font-size:15px}.usus-tbl th{background:#f4eff9;color:#2A124A;font-weight:700;text-align:right;padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:2px solid #C9A227}.usus-tbl td{padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid #e5ddec;vertical-align:top}<\/style>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p>A son or relative caught drifting, or their car impounded? <strong>Drifting<\/strong> in Saudi Arabia is not an ordinary traffic offence: the vehicle is impounded, a heavy fine imposed and the driver referred to court for possible imprisonment, rising with each repeat.<\/p>\n<table class=\"usus-tbl\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Offence<\/th>\n<th>Impound<\/th>\n<th>Fine<\/th>\n<th>Court<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>First<\/td>\n<td>15 days<\/td>\n<td>SAR 20,000<\/td>\n<td>Referral for possible prison<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Second<\/td>\n<td>One month<\/td>\n<td>SAR 40,000<\/td>\n<td>Referral for possible prison<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Third<\/td>\n<td>Impounded<\/td>\n<td>SAR 60,000<\/td>\n<td>Referral for confiscation and prison<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure class=\"usus-ig usus-ig-9809-1\"><img class=\"wp-image-9825\" src=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9809-1.webp\" width=\"1200\" height=\"764\" alt=\" \u2014 Drifting Penalty in Saudi Arabia (Usus Law Firm infographic)\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9809-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9809-1-768x489.webp 768w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9809-1-640x407.webp 640w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9809-1-400x255.webp 400w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-9809-1-367x234.webp 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Source: Article 69 of the Traffic Law as amended. Rented or stolen vehicles are not impounded or confiscated; the driver pays their value instead.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>What is the penalty for drifting in Saudi Arabia for a first offence?<\/h3>\n<p>The vehicle is impounded for 15 days, a SAR 20,000 fine is imposed, and the driver is referred to court for possible imprisonment.<\/p>\n<p>See <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/saudi-traffic-violations\/\">traffic violations in Saudi Arabia<\/a> and our <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/criminal-lawyer-riyadh\/\">criminal lawyer in Riyadh<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:12.5px;color:#6a6178;border-top:1px solid #e6ddd0;padding-top:10px;margin-top:16px\"><em>This article is general legal information and is not a substitute for advice on your specific case. Court proceedings in Saudi Arabia are in Arabic; the official Arabic text of each law prevails.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"usus-qbox\">\n<h2>Request a quick consultation<\/h2>\n<p>Leave your name and mobile number, and a lawyer from our Riyadh or Tabuk office will call you during working hours. We advise in English.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f6963-o1\" lang=\"en-US\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"6963\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/p> <ul><\/ul><\/div>\n<form action=\"\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9809#wpcf7-f6963-o1\" method=\"post\" class=\"wpcf7-form init\" aria-label=\"Contact form\" novalidate=\"novalidate\" data-status=\"init\">\n<fieldset class=\"hidden-fields-container\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7\" value=\"6963\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_version\" value=\"6.2.2\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_locale\" value=\"en_US\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_unit_tag\" value=\"wpcf7-f6963-o1\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_container_post\" value=\"0\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_posted_data_hash\" value=\"\" \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<span id=\"wpcf7-6ae23b000d0d4-wrapper\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap cf7apps-honeypot-wrap honeypot-qf-wrap\" style=\"position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);white-space:nowrap;border:0;\"><label for=\"wpcf7-6ae23b000d0d4-field\" class=\"hp-message\">Please leave this field empty.<\/label><input id=\"wpcf7-6ae23b000d0d4-field\"  class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text\" type=\"text\" name=\"honeypot-qf\" value=\"\" autocomplete=\"new-password\" tabindex=\"1000\" data-cf7apps-tabindex=\"1000\" \/><\/span>\n<div class=\"usus-qf\">\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-name\">Name<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-name\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required\" id=\"q-name\" autocomplete=\"name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Your name\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"q-name\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-phone\">Mobile<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-phone\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-tel wpcf7-validates-as-required wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-tel\" id=\"q-phone\" autocomplete=\"tel\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"05xxxxxxxx\" value=\"\" type=\"tel\" name=\"q-phone\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-city\">City<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-city\"><select class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-select wpcf7-validates-as-required\" id=\"q-city\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"q-city\"><option value=\"Riyadh\">Riyadh<\/option><option value=\"Tabuk\">Tabuk<\/option><option value=\"Other city\">Other city<\/option><\/select><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f w\"><label for=\"q-msg\">Your case in brief (optional)<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-msg\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"2\" maxlength=\"600\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" id=\"q-msg\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"One or two lines are enough\" name=\"q-msg\"><\/textarea><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"s\"><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-submit has-spinner\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Request a call from a lawyer\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A son or relative caught drifting, or their car impounded? Drifting in Saudi Arabia is not an ordinary traffic offence: the vehicle is impounded, a heavy fine imposed and the driver referred to court for possible imprisonment, rising with each repeat. Offence Impound Fine Court First 15 days SAR 20,000 Referral for possible prison Second [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9815,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[84],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-criminal-law"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-9809-1140x445.jpg?wsr",1140,445,true],"list":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-9809-463x348.jpg?wsr",463,348,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-9809-300x169.jpg?wsr",300,169,true],"full":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-9809.jpg?wsr",1200,675,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9827,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9809\/revisions\/9827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}