JEDDAH, 22 July — A Traffic Department of Jeddah report said out of 12,738 traffic accidents that took place in the city last month 7,228 involved expatriates and 5,510 Saudis. Among them 1,700 were uneducated drivers, the report added.
The report comes at a time when the department has planned a major traffic awareness campaign beginning Sept. 18. The campaign will continue for three months.
The monthly report also highlighted that the figures of married people being victims of traffic accidents was higher compared to those involving bachelors.
It said the number of victims among married people stood at 8,323 while that of bachelors was 4,415.
The Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal ibn Majed, who is chairman of the campaign’s organizing committee in Jeddah, emphasized the need for focusing on youth and encouraging them to follow traffic rules.
Brig. Saleh Al-Olayyan, Jeddah police director, said a number of interesting events is being planned during the campaign. He added that Saudis and expatriates in the city would be given attractive prizes.
“The campaign is aimed at enhancing the security awareness of the public and establish confidence between them and the security officers,” Al-Olayyan said.
The department reported substantial decline in the number of dead among accident victims as their numbers stood at 22 last month compared to 33 during the same period last year.
Brig. Saeed Al-Qahtani, head of the accidents division at the Jeddah Traffic Department, told Arab News that 178 people were injured and 6,701 vehicles were damaged in accidents last month.
He pointed out that overspeeding was the main cause for accidents followed by unauthorized overtaking, running of red light, violation of traffic rules at roundabouts and drivers’ negligence.
Al-Qahtani said there was remarkable decrease in the number of accidents due to a series of awareness campaigns launched by the department.
