JEDDAH, 31 August — Four people were killed and 20 others injured in two separate road accidents in the Kingdom on Thursday.
Two children died when a Suburban van carrying a 22-member family from Wadi Al-Dawasir to Riyadh overturned north of Aflaj.
Traffic officers told Arab News that the accident occurred after one of the van’s rear tires burst. The injured passengers were taken to an Aflaj hospital.
In the second accident, two youths died when a Camry car crashed near Abqaiq. Police blamed the accident on speeding. "The car had overturned several times as a result of speeding," they said.
Rescue workers of Saudi Red Crescent took the bodies to Abqaiq General Hospital.
Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Abdul Rahman Al-Muqbil, director of traffic in Riyadh, told Arab News that the number of drivers and passengers who show negligence in wearing seatbelts has increased.
"Studies conducted by traffic policemen in plainclothes have showed that there is a considerable negligence on the part of drivers in wearing safety belts," he said.
He refuted complaints that traffic checks were hampering smooth flow of traffic in many parts of Riyadh. "The checkpoints will not create any traffic jams because in most cases they are at service lanes," he pointed out.
