Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — The number of traffic violations recorded by the advanced Bashir system reached 1,309,395 in Riyadh during the last three months, Al-Riyadh Arabic daily reported on Tuesday.

“The Traffic Department monitors violations to ensure the safety of motorists, passengers and pedestrians,” said the report quoting a department official.

The department monitors violations such as use of mobile phones while driving, failure to use seatbelt, wrong parking and changing structure of the vehicle and zebra line crossing while passengers cross the road.

The Traffic Department launched the Bashir system in cooperation with the security information center to monitor traffic violations across the country, the official said, adding that traffic officers can feed violations through their mobile phones linked with the information center.

“The information center will be able to transfer the violations to the phone numbers of motorists and owners of vehicles involved in the violation within minutes,” the official said, adding that the department need not use papers for the purpose.

He said the system has contributed to facilitating the department’s endeavors to monitor traffic violations and reduce traffic accidents in the country. The department intends to introduce new measures as part of its efforts to bring down number of traffic violations in the Kingdom.

Riyadh is witnessing rapid development in terms of area and population density, with the city’s total population reaching nearly six million people.

The population growth has also been accompanied by considerable urban growth and high density of cars, with an estimated 2.7 million vehicles plying on the city’s roads in around 7 million daily trips.

The most important roads for traffic movement in the city are King Fahd Road, which passes through central Riyadh from the south to the north; Khurais Road, which connects the western and eastern parts of the city; King Abdullah Road; Imam Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Mohammed Road; Al-Arouba Road; Prince Turki Bin Abdulaziz Road; the ring roads; Al-Olaya Road; the Specialist Road; and King Abdul Aziz Road.

With such high traffic movement comes a large number of traffic violations. Statistics published by Riyadh traffic for the last Hijri year reveal traffic patrols in the field reported 2,309,470 violations that mostly involved speeding, illegal turns, driving without a license, running traffic signals, absence of license plates, failure to wear a seatbelt, tinting windows, drifting, illegal parking, using cell phones while driving and the entry of trucks on roads during prohibited hours.

A senior official at the Riyadh Traffic Department said the application of traffic regulations is among the top priorities of officers in the field, noting that his department is keen on realizing the highest level of traffic safety and protecting lives and property.