Turki Al-Dakheel

Al-Riyadh



NO doubt that the Saher speed radar is not a good friend to everybody because, after all, it is part of the system which is annoying people who wish that the life was based on chaos and not order.



We may differ on some of Saher’s rules and regulations such as the doubling of the fine but we are unanimous in that it has reduced the traffic accidents resulting from speeding. At least this has been a positive point of Saher.



The drivers who wish not to be ticketed by Saher should stick to the posted speed limit. We often observe and respect the speed limit when we drive in London, Paris or Dubai. Everybody there respects the speed limit, including the Saudis. Why do we hate this system in our country and respect it when we travel abroad?



We need to stop and think about this matter. The system is not an enemy. It is rather a friend who, in one way or the other, protects our lives.



The Saher staff who remain in the camera vehicles suffer a lot from the drivers who do not respect the system. We have heard and read about some incidents where their vehicles were burned or deliberately damaged.



A few days ago I received a distressing message from a Saher staff. He told me that he had been following the discussions about Saher in some TV channels but no one mentioned the sufferings of the staff that spend about eight hours cramped in the radar vehicle. He is often badmouthed by some of the motorists who do not hesitate to throw rocks, empty cans and or even fire bullets in his direction.



He said he was a Saher staff who got the job after years of unemployment. He also said he was married and had children. “Every time I go out to work, I bid my wife and kids farewell like a soldier going to war and is not sure if he will come back or not,” he said

He said he was repeatedly attacked by some young and reckless drivers as if he was responsible for the system though he was no more than an employee doing his job.



“Believe it or not, some of the attacks against us were made by no one other than the security officials themselves,” he said.



Some of Saher’s opponents claim that the system is draining them of their money. When you ask them why they speed, they will tell that they are used to this. The question that should be asked to them is: why do you not get used to respecting the speed limit and the traffic rules?



The destroying and burning of Saher vehicles and the attacks against the staff is not only detestable but is totally against human nature.