Assalaamu alaykum. Please answer immediately. My father just broke a traffic law. Since it was dawn, no police officer saw it and fined us. Does this fine become a debt? If we broke a law, is it obligatory to admit it and pay the fines to the authorities? Thank you.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is known that what is intended by most of the traffic regulations is to regulate and care for the interest of the people and avoid the dangers that can happen to them. One must abide by these regulations and it is not permissible to violate them.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked, “What is the ruling in Islam on a person who violates traffic regulations, such as passing through a red traffic light?” He answered, “It is not permissible for any Muslim or non-Muslim to violate the system of the government in respect to the traffic regulations because of the great danger that involves him as well as others...”

However, as long as the violation was committed by your father at a time when there was no one to register it and fine him, then there is no debt that he has to pay, and he is not obliged to pay it, because he was not asked for it and it was not registered against him.

Allah knows best.