In one instance, a Saudi man in Makkah shot another after a fight over a parking space next to the Grand Mosque after the Juma’a prayer last Friday.

The incident in Makkah is an extreme example. Road rage in the Kingdom would generally involve the trading of verbal insults and often leads to physical violence among drivers with many young men clustering around out of curiosity. Spectators even film the fight using their mobile phones.

A confrontation would eventually result in a traffic jam, which would last until traffic officers intervene. 

A driver who was involved in a road rage incident said his car was hit on its right side by a large vehicle on Madinah Road.

“I had to brake hard and didn’t see him until it was too late because he was coming so fast. He stopped, reversed into me and then tried to attack me in my car,” said the driver.

“Shouting and screaming is standard here, but reversing into my car is just going too far.”

The driver added such attitudes are not surprising because there is not a culture of driving safely.

50-year-old motorist Ahmad said ten years ago people would hug and kiss each other if they were safe following an accident.

Some drivers would exploit an accident to blackmail others for cash.

Amran was driving on Tahlia Street when he reached a spot where the road was very narrow because of construction work.

“I bumped a parked car. I stopped and went to apologize to the owner who was inside a shop, as I thought it was the right thing to do. I could have easily run away.”

Things took a nasty turn when the car-owner, who was in his early 20s, demanded SR200.

“He showed no signs of understanding and suddenly he lost his temper and threatened to call the police. He went to my car and started to hit the side window.”

After witnesses intervened the young man left and Amran ended up paying SR300 to fix his own car.

“If fighting is involved then the case is divided up for investigation among the traffic department and the police,” said spokesman for Makkah police Maj. Fawzi Al-Ansari.

Al-Ansari added that road rage cases are not common.

“In case they do happen the traffic officials nearby will handle it.”

Managing traffic has always been a challenge in the Kingdom, with the number of accidents on the rise.

Statistics show that the country loses SR13.6 million annually due to accidents, with 17 people dying every day.