Abdullah Munawar Al-Jamili
The e-newspaper Sabq.org recently published a shocking report detailing figures of road fatalities in the Kingdom. The statistics, which have been issued by the authorities, show that around 86,000 people have died on our roads over the past 20 years and that over 6.1 million people were left injured with the majority disabled for life. The statistics also show that some four million road accidents occurred in the Kingdom during that period of time. In simple terms, we come first in the world in terms of the number of road accidents.
Another study showed that the economic loss caused by road fatalities is estimated to be SR79.92 billion while public property damage was SR6.94 billion.
These are scary figures and proof that driving on our roads can be dangerous. The Traffic Department has tried hard to reduce road accidents but with little luck. The number of accidents is increasing. We need a Kingdomwide national campaign and short-term and long-term strategic plans that are innovative. Raising public awareness and warning people about the penalties of reckless driving is a good thing, but we need to also focus on the condition of our roads and cars which can also be blamed for these accidents.
We need more unmarked traffic patrol cars and stringent systems in which drivers accumulate points for abiding by or for violating traffic rules. We need to ensure that unmarked police cars are on patrol all the time to keep a close watch on our roads and prevent reckless drivers from engaging in dangerous activities that put the lives of other road users at risk.
A system of rewards can be an effective solution to this problem. If a driver follows the rules, he should be exempted from paying license registration fees or be rewarded financially. If he does not violate the traffic rules for six straight months, his old fines should be cancelled. I do not believe in fining people. I think violators should be forced to do community work and be sent to do volunteer work in hospitals where they can see for themselves the consequences of reckless driving.
If road fatalities keep rising, it will be as if death is lurking on our roads, ever ready to take our lives.
