Saudi Arabia needs a better driving culture

I am writing with regard to the article “5-year prison, SR40,000 in fine proposed for joyriders” (Mar. 18). In an informal survey I conducted, Saudi university students, said that the first and foremost difficulty people face in the country.

March 20, 2015

 


 


I am writing with regard to the article “5-year prison, SR40,000 in fine proposed for joyriders” (Mar. 18). In an informal survey I conducted, Saudi university students, said that the first and foremost difficulty people face in the country is the danger on the nation’s roads and the reckless behavior of drivers in the country. Do we have a genuine solution for such ruthless driving with no respect shown to other drivers? Can we have roundabouts where priorities are maintained? Can we have drivers who can refrain from continuous unnecessary honking? Can we have streets where drivers know how to keep a safe distance from one another without making threats?



Thajudeen M. Abdu, Online response


 


The question is: Who is going to implement this law? Jeddah traffic police do not seem to be interested in doing their job. I regularly see them sitting in their cars or on their motorcycles talking on mobiles completely oblivious to the traffic around them. Turning right is prohibited at the crossing of Tahlia and Sitteen Streets, but I daily see vehicles turning right in the presence of traffic police. Making laws means nothing if they are not enforced. The Jeddah traffic police department needs a serious overhauling.



Azhar, Online response


March 20, 2015
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