ACCORDING to published statistics, the number of traffic accidents in the Kingdom is estimated to be around 86,000 annually, causing the death of 17 people each day.

 

The reasons for these accidents differ, but using mobile phones while driving is one of the leading causes. Anyone who has traveled on the Kingdom’s roads has noticed the number of motorists who talk on their mobiles, oblivious of the dangers and disasters that may occur as a result.

 

Numerous studies have shown that motorists’ attention is distracted 10 percent of the time they spend behind the steering wheel. Most of these distractions are due to mobile phone use, which causes an increase in the number of accidents, especially among young men and teenagers, the age group most likely to talk/text and drive.

 

There are demands for stiffer penalties against reckless motorists, especially since young men driving vehicles represent 87 percent of secondary school students of whom a shockingly-high 38 percent are involved in some sort of accident. 

 

Using a mobile phone while driving doubles the likelihood of an experienced driver meeting an accident. The likelihood increases eightfold for new or inexperienced drivers. It increases fourfold when texting and the likelihood of causing an accident increases sevenfold when drivers try to find their mobile phone to answer a call.

 

Talal Hassan Al-Bakri, former member of the Shoura Council, said being preoccupied with mobile phones while driving is a “menace” that must be brought under control. He also said when people travel to other countries they comply with traffic laws and regulations there, but when they return to the Kingdom they revert to their reckless methods that cause many accidents.

 

“The number of traffic accident victims exceeds victims of wars and the state bears millions of riyals for treating the injured,” he said.

Abdullah Hussein Al-Bishri, a Saudi, said using a mobile phone while driving is a common sight and people are no longer alarmed by the risks associated with the use of mobile phones while driving.

 

“When one sees motorists at traffic lights talking on a mobile phone, it is no longer shocking. Some drivers hold the steering wheel with one hand and their mobile phone with the other and they somehow believe this is the hallmark of a skillful driver. In reality, the driver’s attention is distracted and he cannot comply with traffic rules and regulations and at the same time keep track of his conversation. Nor can he safeguard his life and others’ lives,” he said, while adding that drivers should only answer phone calls when they reach their destination or after they have safely parked their cars without disturbing traffic flow.

 

“Stiff penalties should be implemented against those who are reckless with human lives,” he added.