Asharq al Awsat

Riyadh, Jun 14: Dr Abdul Jalil Al Saif, a member of the Saudi Shura Council, has revealed that the number of deaths caused by road accidents has risen by 15% since last year, highlighting that the number of traffic violations has reached 10 million.

Al Saif stated that the conduct of drivers is the main reason for these violations. He called for educating society and increasing awareness of the traffic code.

Dr Al Saif recently gave a lecture at the Security Forces Officers Club, concerning the aims and developments of the traffic code and its socio-economic impacts. He stated that the younger generations in schools should be educated on the traffic code and this should be part of the curriculum like in some developed nations.

The lecturer highlighted that courts to deal with traffic-related legal issues would be an effective way to settle such cases and should be set-up immediately. He also called for appointing specialized judges in these courts. Dr Al Saif emphasized the necessity of introducing new methods to limit the possession of cars, as well as working on a new strategy for transportation.

Dr Al Saif noted that the new traffic code was studied by specialized committees and presented to a number of related departments, which accepted many of the recommendations that were made to avoid as many mistakes as possible before the new code is applied.

The current traffic code in Saudi Arabia is over 36-years-old and does not correspond with the developments that have taken place in other traffic codes around the world, especially from the technical and legislative angles.