Abdulateef Al-Mulhim

By : Abdulateef Al-Mulhim

Two reports that I came across recently left me confused or should I say sad. According to one report quoting the traffic department, the number of road accidents and fatalities has substantially decreased after the introduction of Saher.

On the other hand, insurance companies have announced a dramatic increase in the automobile insurance premium. Now, will someone explain this to us?

Sadly enough, Saudi Arabia’s roads are known to be one of the most dangerous ones in the world. It is not because the roads are narrow or mountainous and Saudi weather is also not the kind that hampers the ability of motorists to drive. Most days of the year, Saudi skies remain sunny. Our roads are dangerous not because of some inherent technical flaw but mainly because our youth have developed very bad driving habits. It is not about speed. I am referring to the reckless driving with total disregard for traffic laws. Due to reckless driving, Saudi Arabia has lost thousands of men and many more are left physically and mentally crippled thus overburdening our health-care system. This is in addition to the tens of billions of riyals in vehicles’ damages. Saudi Arabia is reported to be a country with the highest fatalities on the roads. Is there any solution to this problem?

In order to check road fatalities, our government has taken various measures. One of those steps was the introduction of Saher, which is a speed-tracking system with a camera. Some of those cameras are installed on various thoroughfares and some are mounted on cars and are mobile.

On Saudi roads or highways, one would always see drivers coming from the opposite side of the road flashing high beam to warn other drivers about the presence of a camera along the way.

Saher is making a lot of money from motorists found guilty of violating traffic rules but it is said that it has had no effect on the number of road accidents. Many motorists usually slow down in areas, which they know are covered by Saher cameras and once they pass by that area they change their speeds.

We all know that the main cause of accidents is not only 10 or 20 km/h above the speed limit; it is the dangerous way of driving. In other words, Saher has become a financial burden on many citizens and expatriates without any tangible results. The main reason for this is that with Saher, the traffic police are not seen and roads are not properly monitored.

The traffic police have to be present with more authority to prevent any wrongdoing one the road. We are seeing an increase in joyrides called (Tafhit). Many lives have been lost and many expensive cars have been totally damaged. Many of our youth don’t know the value of the vehicle because their parents normally buy cars. This has to change and young men have to be taught to start working at an early age as part-time employees. This will teach them the value of money. Road accidents are becoming a national disaster. Due to the continuous rise in road fatalities, there is a need to prepare a national plan. Under the plan, lectures should be given in schools on road safety and capabilities of our traffic department be upgraded. This can be done through intensive training of the traffic department personnel. There is a great need to increase the number of traffic officials on the roads to control and monitor traffic and drivers’ behavior. The impact of Saher system should also be reevaluated. Instead of solely relying on this system, it should be used as a tool in the arsenal of the traffic department.

We have to look closer in the hike in insurance premium due to irresponsible drivers. The increase is a burden on many people who are law-abiding citizens and drivers. At the end of the day, many changes should be introduced to the traffic rules in the Kingdom. Saher is not the ultimate solution. We can’t leave our roads to be monitored by a standstill camera.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the Column section are their own and do not reflect RiyadhVision’s point-of-view.

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