Prince Sultan bin Salman

Road crashes in Saudi Arabia fell by 10 percent over the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, who released the data, described it as a big achievement.

Quoting statistics, Prince Sultan said the number of people injured in car accidents fell by 4 percent, while deaths declined by 3.5 percent during the same period. Prince Sultan, who is also president of the Disabled Children’s Association (DCA), commended Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif for his ministry’s efforts to reduce accidents.

He said the DCA has launched a campaign to create awareness about the importance of traffic rules. “This campaign, with the participation of the public and private sectors, aims to reduce the human and economic losses caused by accidents,” he said.

Prince Sultan said the campaign would cover all parts of the Kingdom. “We’ll also participate in various national programs as part of our efforts to enhance public awareness on the topic.” He said there has been a huge response to the campaign so far.

Essam bin Hassan Kawther of King Abdulaziz University has estimated that the Kingdom loses SR87.18 billion annually because of road accidents. Kawther’s estimate was based on a study that included 1,100 people involved in accidents and 872 injured participants.