Crossing red light top traffic violation in Riyadh

RIYADH: Crossing the red light was found to be among the top traffic traffic violations in the city during last month, followed by cars without registration and driving without license. This was revealed during a month-long campaign launched by the traffic department in the capital, Muhammad bin Al-Shahab, traffic director, Riyadh area, said on Thursday. “The campaign was aimed at streamlining the vehicular traffic, check irregularities and raise awareness,” he said, adding that such drives would continue throughout the year. Violations monitored included crossing the red light (19,386), car without registration (9,166), driving without license (9018), speeding (8,837), wrong turns (6199) and missing or blurred number plates (2335). The other related offenses were recorded at 6,521. Al-Shabab said that he hoped the campaign would improve traffic culture and ensure traffic safety. He said that during the campaign, all traffic rules and regulations are being implemented for efficiency and safety to avoid injury or loss of life due to accidents. According to a report, the Kingdom has among the world’s most dangerous roads. Statistics from the General Directorate of Traffic show that Saudi Arabia reports 23 deaths per 100,000 people, with an average of 19.1 road fatalities occurring daily. The report says that the rate of accidents per individual in the Kingdom is much higher than in developed countries. “It’s due to a lack of discipline. No doubt, better enforcement of speed limits and traffic laws would help,” said Glenn N. Havinoviski, associate vice president and transportation systems director of Middle East Operations, Iteris Inc. The Council of Ministers has earlier approved the National Strategic Plan for Traffic Safety that has a key objective of framing a national traffic safety policy. According to a study, 600,000 crashes were recorded in the Kingdom in 2012, resulting in the death of around 7,638 people.