Okaz

IN a WHO report on the status of road safety around the world, Saudi Arabia recorded the highest rate of deaths resulting from traffic accidents among the Group of 20 countries.

There were 28,800 accidents for every 100,000 population in the country, while the total number of deaths resulting accidents was 9,031.

In front of these scary numbers, we have no choice but to admit that this is a reflection of the absence of traffic culture in the Saudi streets. This is a natural result of the increasing rate of traffic violations, which in a way is now out of control by the concerned authority.

The traffic department cannot appoint someone to monitor the behavior of each driver. They cannot also install a Saher camera on ever meter of the road.

It is as if all the traffic awareness campaigns that we came to be familiar with since we were born were not enough to change the behavior of our drivers.

The Interior Ministry launched the service of reporting traffic violations through pictures and videos available to the public through “Kolana Amn” (We Are All Security) application. This is a good step. The Interior Ministry’s interactive service online is credited for many its achievements. However, people need to be motivated to use this service and report traffic violators.

I think we should apply a reward system for those who report traffic violations the same way people who report corruption cases and commercial fraud are rewarded. A percentage of the violation ticket should be awarded to the person who reported the violation and it should be deposited to his/her bank account directly.

This reward will for sure help in reducing the percentage of traffic violations leading to accidents that claim the lives of thousands of Saudis every year. This will also motivate citizens to carry out their social and national responsibility and turn him/her into a security officer without a uniform. This will also benefit the unemployed people and guarantee them a good income. Ultimately, it will help in forcing car drivers to respect the traffic law, which is the most important thing. Also, the government is going to benefit from collecting traffic fines.

Rewarding those who are reporting traffic violations is very important because it will help in achieving security on the road. Also it goes with the objective of Vision 2030 to build a vibrant society in a safe environment.