AL-LITH, 30 November 2007 — Anyone who has driven on Saudi highways could easily believe what happened to a husband and wife. In a country where it’s stressful to drive under 140 kph (87 mph) thanks to the people racing up behind you flashing their lights to protest your lazy driving, it’s not surprising that Saudi highways are often the site of carnage. People who drive in Saudi Arabia tend to balk at 140 kph as too slow, and often remain well past 180 kph, because, of course, everyone on the road considers himself the master of the highway. According to the daily Al-Madinah yesterday, a husband sustained minor injuries while his wife suffered a few broken bones after a collision on the highway into Al-Lith, a coastal town about 180 km south of Jeddah. The woman had to be taken to Jeddah to be treated. A few days later she was discharged and her husband came to pick her up. On the way back to Al-Lith, the husband, who was running the gauntlet like everyone else, got into another collision. Again the man suffered minor injuries. But this time, his wife died, becoming yet another name on the mounting list of road deaths due to everyone’s irrational need for speed in the Kingdom.
