Fahd Bin Jleid
Al-Jazirah
The Traffic Department will soon introduce a system that will allow motorists to record traffic violations by fellow drivers. Saudi and expat drivers will be able to record any traffic violation, its time and place with the help of a special app developed for the purpose. The department will make sure that the violation recorded was genuine before taking any punitive action.
Once implemented, the new system will bring about a marked improvement in tracking down motorists who unabashedly break traffic rules. It will ensure, with everyone’s participation, the presence of a hidden police force in our streets safeguarding the interests of all road users.
The main reason for people breaking traffic rules is the absence of law enforcement. But when the new system is implemented, drivers will think twice before breaking the law, as other road users, especially the ones whose rights are trampled, will be the first to report the violation.
Public participation in this sort of monitoring reflects the traffic department’s full confidence in motorists, both Saudis and expats, to shoulder the responsibility of being the first to secure the street. This is a smart move by the department to make every motorist a traffic officer.
It seems the department is making use of the world’s best practices to cut down traffic violations. We have already introduced monitoring systems in restaurants and shops while the Ministry of Commerce has applied a similar system to control prices and check fraud.
But there is an important condition that should be fulfilled to ensure the smooth functioning of the system. The public should be given the authority to register violations by police cars and Saher vehicles. This is significant when the public participates in the traffic monitoring system. The granting of such a right will enhance the quality of driving by all.
If the Traffic Department implements the system efficiently with the public reacting to it seriously, it will definitely bring down the rate of road accidents in the Kingdom, as all vehicles and their drivers will become targets for public monitoring.
