Driving school re-entry for traffic violators

JEDDAH: Violators of traffic regulations will soon have their licenses withdrawn and be sent back to driving school, according to the Traffic Department. Brig. Gen. Ali Al-Rashidi, the department’s spokesman, said the new regulations would come into force after procedures are completed with the National Information Center, according to a report in a local publication recently. He said the regulations for objecting to Saher fines are available on the Ministry of Interior’s website. All complaints are sent to a specialized authority with response time within 48 hours. Al-Rashidi made the remarks at the Third Forum on Traffic Safety. Zaid Al-Qadi, education adviser with the Committee on Traffic Safety and Aramco’s Traffic Safety Program, said work is underway to distribute more than 800,000 traffic safety bags to students in Riyadh and the Eastern Province. He said the target is to distribute 1.5 million bags by the end of the current school year. The bags are designed to spread awareness about traffic safety, according to the report. Global statistics reveal traffic-related injuries and deaths are most common among the youth, largely affecting those between 15 and 25. According to Deputy Minister of Education for Educational Affairs Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Oheili, children and youth in the Kingdom account for 72 percent of traffic accident deaths. He said the Education Ministry is working to raise awareness about traffic safety among students through various school and university programs and incorporating information into curricula. -arabnews