The Ministry of Interior has announced plans to launch a new smartphone app service for reporting road accidents.

The Ministry of Interior has announced plans to launch a new smartphone app service for reporting road accidents.

When involved in an accident, users can take a picture of their damaged car and submit it to the Public Security through the app, which is expected to launch in January 2015, Al-Hayat daily reported.

Public Security chief Maj. Gen. Othman Al-Muhrij said during the opening ceremony of the Traffic Control Electronic Services Center in Riyadh on Tuesday that the service is only for accidents in which no injuries or deaths occur.

“The app is a collaboration between Najm Company for Insurance Services and the Traffic Directorate. The pictures sent through the app will reach us through the company. The Traffic Directorate offers a number of electronic services but when it comes to issuing a verdict in regards to the accident, the case is referred to the specialized traffic affairs courts. All cases referred to traffic affairs courts are done so under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice,” said Maj. Gen. Al-Muhrij.

Head of the Traffic Directorate Maj. Gen. Abdulrahman Al-Muqbil said a database filters dishonest submissions as it compares the angles of the photos, and the minimum number of photos to be submitted is four.

“The app will be available on iPhone Operating System (iOS) and is currently being tested by Apple Inc. to ensure its security. We are also welcoming objections and complaints about Saher starting Sunday. There will be a designated e-mail account to answer questions and reply to individual cases,” said Maj. Gen. Al-Muqbil.

There are 800 new Traffic Department service centers open for individuals and companies, said Maj. Gen. Al-Muqbil. “The centers can transfer vehicle ownership between companies and individuals and issue driving licenses as well as tickets for traffic violations. It is all automatically done and we are expecting to process 40,000 cases a month,” said Maj. Gen. Al-Muqbil.

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