JEDDAH, 1 March 2007 — The Traffic Department will soon carry out an SR1 billion project to monitor traffic violations across the country using satellites and cameras, its Director General Maj. Gen. Fahad Al-Bishr said. The new electronic-monitoring system, the largest project of its kind in the Kingdom, aims at cutting down road accidents that destroy five percent of the country’s gross domestic product annually.

He said cameras would be installed to register numbers of violating vehicles; the registration of violation will then be passed to the data center. The driver will be informed of the violation and he will have the right to object, he added.

Payment of traffic tickets are essential to complete procedures at the Passport Department like issuance and renewal of passport, iqama (resident permit), civil status card, vehicle permit and driving license, issuance of visas for non-Saudis and recruitment of foreign manpower.

“The new project will help identify the number plates of cars wanted by police including stolen cars and cars driven by suspected criminals, and locate them easily,” Bishr said.

The Traffic Department will carry out a campaign to enlighten the public before experimental operation of the system after installing the cameras at specific roads that witness increasing number of traffic violations such a crossing the red light and overspeeding. Later on it will be applied to all parts of the Kingdom.

Traffic violations in the Kingdom have increased considerably in recent years rising by 349 percent in 2004 compared to the figure in 1996. Every minute at least 11 traffic violations take place on the Kingdom’s roads.

According to statistics issued by the Interior Ministry’s data center, about 78 percent of the victims of traffic violations are below the age of 46. People injured in traffic accidents occupy about one third of hospital beds, it added.

Bishr attributed the huge number of traffic accidents in the Kingdom to a growing population and increasing use of vehicles. “We have to consider these factors and work out a strategy to reduce traffic violations and accidents,” he said.

During the last five years, traffic departments have registered more than 1.36 million accidents that caused the deaths of 21,900 people and injured 122,600 others. In 2004 alone, 5,168 people died and 348,100 others were injured in 293,200 accidents across the country.

The implementation of the new electronic monitoring system comes ahead of introducing a new traffic law.