Expat drivers in spotlight

ACCORDING to the latest statistics provided by the Traffic Department, expatriates are responsible for half of the accidents that take place annually across the Kingdom. Furthermore, over 60 percent of expatriate drivers violate traffic rules every year. Despite these alarming numbers, traffic awareness campaigns continue to target Saudi youth and ignore expatriate workers, something many experts say needs to change if authorities want to lower the number of road accidents and fatalities in the country, Al-Riyadh daily reports. Experts say any traffic awareness campaign the authorities roll out should take into consideration the fact that many expatriate drivers in the Kingdom cannot read or write either of the two languages road signs are in – Arabic and English. Also, many come from countries where traffic rules are not enforced. Dr. Muhammad Al-Kharan, associate professor of media and communications, Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University, supports the introduction of traffic campaigns that target expatriate workers in different languages. “It is important that traffic officials start working on campaigns for expatriate drivers because the latest statistics reflect an alarmingly high percentage of accidents caused by expatriates that could be as high as 60 percent of all accidents that take place in the country,” he said. With the number of expatriate drivers in the Kingdom expected to increase, Al-Kharan said it is important all drivers are fully aware of the Kingdom’s traffic rules.   Language barrier Dr. Abdullah Al-Humoud, a media and communications professor, said most awareness campaigns, traffic and others, tend to overlook the large number of expatriate workers and therefore do not target them. Journalist Mazen Mutabaqani underscored the importance of reaching out to expatriate drivers in their own languages and launching campaigns that raise their awareness about road accidents. He also suggested the Traffic Department redesign its awareness strategy to target both Saudi and expatriate drivers equally. “Our national policies and strategies should take into consideration that the country has a large number of expatriate workers who constitute an important section of our society. We cannot and should not ignore this fact,” he noted. New laws Saeed Abu Malha, editor-in-chief of Al-Hiwar Magazine published by King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue, called on the concerned authorities to redraft some traffic laws to ensure that expatriate drivers comply with them. “We need to draft a law that redefines the way we treat expatriate workers. We need to focus on the educated and skilled workers who are efficient and serve the country. An expatriate worker should not stay in the country more than four years no matter what and should be replaced by another with similar qualifications. Therefore, it is important that foreign governments train their citizens before they send them to the Kingdom,” he said without elaborating on how his proposed four-year cap will help reduce the number of accidents. A number of Saudi men interviewed by Al-Riyadh daily said expatriate drivers, especially those driving heavy trucks, are responsible for a sizeable number of accidents in the country. However, they also said that young Saudi men drive recklessly, causing horrific accidents. They called on the Traffic Department to target expatriate drivers and impose strict penalties on all violators.