Kuwait, Aug 10(Kuwait Times): Statistics published by the Ministry of Interior revealed that car accident fatalities recorded numbered to four cases within the first week of Ramadan. The Ministry of Interior's Moral Guidance Department issued a statement urging people to abide by the rules and laws of traffic in order to ensure their safety.

The Ministry also announced that it recorded 44 fatalities in car accidents for the month of July alone. The statistics show that 16 of the victims of these accidents were Kuwaiti nationals and 28 were expatriates. A source from the Ministry of Interior said that the number is very high when compared to last year. In 2010, the number of fatalities totaled to 125. "Comparing 44 fatalities in one month with 125 fatalities in a whole year, we already predict accident fatalities to increase immensely by the en
d of 2011," he said.

Summing up the cause of road accidents, the official noted that observing safety guidelines and precautions can come a long way, "Of course this is common sense: If you follow the safety guidelines and rules of the road, you are safe. If you don't, you are not. People don't always keep that in mind," he said. He explained that during the first week of August, the Ministry decided to allow driving on the emergency lane at a maximum speed of 45 km/ph during rush hour. "This was thought of as a solution for t
raffic congestion during the rush hour in Ramadan. But people's lack of respect for regulations caused the retraction of this law days after it was announced," he said.

A police patrol officer who spoke on condition of anonymity noted that, on average he issues 20 violation tickets per day, "Most days, these violations have to do with using the phone while driving, or not abiding by the maximum speed limit designated for each street," he said. From his experience on the street, he noted that people often find that breaking the rules is in fact the norm. "A lot of the time, people try to talk their way out of getting a traffic ticket, and only a small fraction admits to t
heir mistake. This is a big indicator that they don't see where they are wrong. The majority talk to us as if we are overreacting by issuing a ticket," he said.

Meanwhile, four expatriates died in traffic accidents that took place across the country during the first week of August. Statistics quoted in a recent report issued by the Ministry of Interior's Security Media Report stated this. The Security Media Department(SMD) has urged motorists to maintain discipline on the road and abide by traffic regulations to protect their lives.