Mahmoud Ahmad
Recently, a new department began operating Saher, an Automated System for the management of speed and traffic via e-systems, and they promised that it would work differently, with an emphasis on not hunting for violating drivers in order to punish them with fines but rather working to reducing the traffic accidents resulting from speeding and other violations.
It was with this pledge that the traffic department took over Saher, and it has been under their full management and supervision as of the first of this month. Saher and all its equipment and employees are now being run and managed by the traffic department.
Hoping that the traffic department, after taking over Saher, would improve the system even more to bring security back to our roads against violators and speeding drivers, I was shocked to read and see in social media and newspapers a traffic officer fining a Saher personnel for keeping his car hidden to hunt for speedsters.
It gets better, the traffic department said in a statement in social media that Saher vehicles that are hiding are illegal. I do not know what is illegal about it if it is targeting violators?
In the past, Saher vehicles and cameras were hidden under bridges, on the sides of the road or among trees at different locations to spot traffic violators or speedsters. And I was not against this practice as it did work, quite effectively.
Saher did bring down the percentage of car accidents and fatalities resulting from car accidents all over the Kingdom. It did strike fear in the hearts of all drivers, especially violators on the highway who were using our roads as a speed track and endangering the lives of innocent people on the road.
According to reports by the traffic department, Saher did help police solve 96 criminal cases in one year. Like I have said many times before, and am repeating it here again, we have a worldwide reputation of failing to respect traffic rules amid reckless driving thus making our roads the most dangerous.
The reaction by the traffic department toward Saher is alarming. I hope that they clarify their intentions on this matter. To fine personnel and cars hiding to hunt for speeding drivers and violators illegal is something that seriously needs to be reconsidered by the traffic department. What kind of a message are we going to send to the speedsters?
The only message here is, it is fine to speed on areas that are not covered by Saher. But when you see the Saher sign that it is ahead of you, reduce your speed to the limit. I see this as an invitation for violators to break the law in areas not covered by Saher.
I am a frequent traveler on the highway between cities and in the past, I have seen people speeding over 200 km/h and driving recklessly. I used to see deadly accidents and bodies on the side of the road covered by white sheet, all because of speedsters, who care a whit for theirs and others’ lives, by just living on the fast lane.
With the introduction of Saher and the hidden cars and cameras at various locations all over the Kingdom used to hunt for a violator, drivers were reduced to being careful and cut speed in fear of being spotted violating the rules or the speed limit. For no one knew where a camera might be hidden — behind a mountain or behind a sign. This technique worked perfectly and it reduced the danger posed by the speedsters on the road by a big percentage.
We used to hear a lot of complaints from people claiming they are victims of Saher violation and that their Saher fines accumulated to such a high number that sometimes it was in the thousands of riyals. They even called to abolish the Saher system, all because they repeatedly fell into the Saher trap.
To such people I have zero tolerance and I am sure that many people share a similar opinion on this point. If the violators complain that Saher had ruined their lives on the road, then the answer is very simple, they should not speed or violate rules in the first place.
These road terrorists are terrorizing our lives and they take advantage of the lack of police presence. To find that violators and traffic department sharing the same opinion about hiding Saher cars and cameras is simply not acceptable.
Violators argue that in other countries, speed traps or cameras are not hidden and there is always a sign warning drivers of it. Yes, that is in countries where the traffic rules are strictly enforced and where drivers have high awareness about the rules or the road. Not like our drivers here who love to violate rules every moment they see a chance to do so and, where a large percentage are not aware of basic rules of the road.
How do I know that, look at the traffic department statistics on violations committed? It is obvious that the only ones that are against Saher system are the violators and they should not be given a chance to voice their opinion about it. It is also obvious that the law-abiding drivers on the road love Saher because it makes them feel safe.
The lives of other people on the road are precious and need to be protected. If these road terrorists want to kill themselves by speeding then that is their choice but the problem is they always end up taking other people's lives with them. Violators have controlled our roads to a level that we hate to drive.
The writer can be reached at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa
Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng
