Collage by Jaimee Lee Haddad.
Driving in Lebanon isn’t just stressful and dangerous, it’s deadly.
Every week, the numbers pile up like wrecked cars on the highway. In just 10 days this August, 28 people were killed and 93 injured in road accidents. By mid-2025, Lebanon had already matched the number of road deaths it saw in all of last year.
It’s easy to blame “bad or reckless drivers,” but the real story runs deeper: Lebanon has a modern traffic law, written to make roads safer, but almost no one knows it and fewer still respect it.
So, what exactly is Lebanon’s traffic law? Is it working? And what is the government doing about it?
Let’s break it down.
1. What is Lebanon’s traffic law and what does it actually say?
Lebanon’s traffic law didn’t appear overnight. In 2003, Parliament tasked the road safety NGO YASA with drafting a modern version of the old 1967 code, which was so outdated that, by the 2010s, it still didn’t properly cover basic safety measures like seatbelts, helmets or proper licensing.
After years of amendments, political delays and even a short-lived suspension, the new law was finally put into effect in 2015. At 177 pages long, it promised to overhaul everything from how people get their licenses to how cars are inspected.
This was particularly important because, for decades, many drivers never actually learned the rules of the road.
Licenses could be “bought,” sometimes without applicants even setting foot in the Vehicle Registration and Traffic Authority or Nafaa (the state office meant to test drivers and handle registrations). The 2015 law tried to put an end to this.
So, what does it actually say? On paper, quite a lot:
- Driving licenses: Instead of paying under the table, the law stipulates that future drivers must now attend accredited schools, take classes, and pass real exams. Schools have to be properly equipped, and instructors certified. Private licenses are valid for 10 years for drivers under the age of 48, four years for those up to 64, and just two years for older drivers, all renewable without a new test. Public licenses are shorter: five years under age 50, three years up to 65, and only one year after that.
- Points system: Every driver starts with 12 points. Break the law — speeding, drunk driving, phone use behind the wheel — and you lose points. Lose them all and your license is suspended.
- Progressive fines: Violations are divided into categories, from minor (bad parking, not using a blinker) to major (drug use, extreme speeding, driving without a license). Fines can reach LL 3 million, which, before the 2019 crisis, amounted to about $2,000. Today, with the lira trading at around LL 89,000 to the dollar, that same “maximum” fine is worth barely $30, with jail time technically still possible for the most serious cases.
- Safety rules: Seatbelts for all passengers. Car seats for kids under five. No children in the front under 10. Driving is prohibited with a blood alcohol level above 0.5 g/L.
- Vehicles: Cars must meet basic safety standards — mirrors, seatbelts, fire extinguishers for taxis — and undergo yearly inspections. "Smart" license plates were introduced to trace owners more easily with barcodes and security numbers: although written into the 2015 law, they only became mandatory in 2019 after being rolled out in late 2017, and replaced the old bilingual plates with the Latin digits only.
- Institutions: The law also promised new bodies to coordinate and enforce road safety — a national council chaired by the prime minister to set policy, a technical committee under the Interior Ministry to prepare studies and inspections, and even a specialized ISF traffic unit for on-the-ground enforcement. None of them were ever created.
2. But where do things stand today?
Lebanon still ranks one of the most dangerous countries in the world for drivers.
According to a 2024 study by Global Positioning Specialists, Lebanon topped the list of “The Most Dangerous Countries to Be a Driver,” ahead of Uruguay, Colombia, Costa Rica and Greece.
Fatal crashes have barely declined since the law was introduced, and young men remain overwhelmingly the main victims.
There are several reasons for this, beyond just reckless driving.
Lebanon’s crumbling infrastructure multiplies the risks: unlit highways, missing lane dividers and potholes that never get filled. The economic collapse has left motorists relying on older, poorly maintained cars and cheap mopeds, while broken traffic lights and cameras can stay out of service for months.
Internal Security Forces (ISF) officers are under-resourced and the fines that were once meant to act as deterrents have been gutted by inflation.
A maximum penalty of LL 3 million, once worth about $2,000, is today barely $30 at the parallel exchange rate, not to mention the fact that wasta and bribery still allow many drivers to escape consequences.
Vehicles themselves are also part of the problem. With new car sales having plummeted since 2019, Lebanon’s roads are flooded with used imports, often seven or eight years old — cars already near the end of their intended lifespan. Technical inspections that should keep unsafe vehicles off the road have stalled, with inspection centers shuttered and customs checks abandoned. The Nafaa also stopped issuing driving licenses for nearly two years following the closure of their offices after a corruption scandal in 2022, adding to the irregularity. In essence, cars of uncertain roadworthiness circulate freely.
At the same time, many Lebanese buyers treat cars as social markers or even financial investments. Instead of opting for affordable, safer compact cars, it’s common to buy an older luxury Sedan as a status symbol.
3. What has the government recently done to improve road safety?
After years of paralysis, there have finally been some moves. Earlier this month, the Interior Ministry reconvened its Traffic Safety Committee after a six-year hiatus.
Officials promised to identify accident hotspots, boost traffic police patrols, repair broken traffic lights and cameras, and tackle manhole thefts that leave deadly gaps on the roadside.
At the same time, Parliament’s Public Works Committee announced an “historic” $40 million project to widen the Jounieh highway — one of the country’s busiest and most congested roads — with work expected to begin within weeks. The plan, first floated in 2019 but shelved, is now paired with promises of new public transportation lines. The Transport Ministry says thirty additional buses will be rolled out across the country, alongside a Chinese donation of about 100 buses, to connect Beirut with Tripoli, Sour and the Bekaa.
Other projects are also moving, such as the Chekka–Beirut highway upgrade, expected by year’s end and rehabilitation works at the Jounieh marina to eventually open a maritime link with Cyprus.
