JEDDAH, 9 November 2004 — The highest number of traffic violations committed by motorists in the city of Jeddah was registered during the month of Ramadan compared to any month in recent years, according to statistics released by the Traffic Department.

During the first two weeks of the month, motorists in the city — known for its chaotic streets — committed more than 100,000 traffic violations, including over 14,000 involving speeding and more than 7,000 involving jumping red lights.

Of the total number of violations committed, Saudis accounted for 56 percent registering 56,200 violations while non-Saudis registered 47,300 violations.

Road accidents usually go up during Ramadan, but this is the first time in many years that such a high number of violations have been reported, police said.

The holy month unfortunately is known for frayed nerves with the accidents peaking just before iftar when people rush to buy food and then race home to break their fast. It is usually during the few minutes before sunset that scuffles and traffic accidents multiply resulting in many people breaking their fast either in police stations or hospitals.

The Deputy Director of Jeddah Traffic Department, Col. Muhammad Al-Qahtani, said speed remains the main cause of many of the fatal accidents reported on the city streets. The department is now bracing for the last days of the fasting month that usually witness heavy rush by shoppers ahead of Eid Al-Fitr celebrations.

A day seldom passes without a fatal accident taking place in some part of the country during Ramadan. In the early hours of Sunday, seven people including six from one family were killed in a head-on collision between two cars in Hail province in one of the most tragic road accidents reported during the month. The family was returning from Makkah after performing Umrah when their car was hit by another coming from the opposite direction.

Police who described the scene as gruesome blamed speed for the accident. The other person killed was the driver of one of the two cars involved in the accident.

One person survived the accident and was rushed to hospital for treatment of multiple injuries.

Saudi Arabia comes first in the world in terms of average traffic accidents. Over the past ten years over 2 million accidents occurred in the Kingdom resulting in the death of more than 39,400 people. Dr. Saleh Al-Athel, president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) said all of the studies they conducted on the various aspects of traffic accidents have identified careless driving and violation of traffic rules as the main causes of accidents. The studies have shown that 78 percent of the people killed were under the age of 45, while one-fifth were children under 15. The Kingdom suffers annual losses amounting to SR21 billion due to accidents.