Traffic accidents in the Kingdom kill 17 people every day and injure more than 68,000 per year, said Zuhair Sharaf, director of the Madinah Traffic Department.
“Financial losses resulting from accidents are estimated at more than SR 13 billion a year,” he said.
During a lecture at Madinah Islamic University as part of the 29th GCC Traffic Week events, he said Saudi Arabia tops the world in the number of traffic accidents, with more than 86,000 lives lost in the last two decades. “This exceeds the number of lives claimed by several international conflicts,” he pointed out.
In 2011 alone, 7,153 people died in traffic accidents. That is more than the victims of violence in Iraq in the same year, which amounted to about 4,200, he said, adding that the numbers are increasing and could reach more than 9,000 in 2019.
He said studies showed that most accidents are caused by human error, speeding, running the red light, unfit drivers and joyriding.
The Riyadh Development Authority, however, revealed a 75 percent decline in the number of deaths and injuries from road accidents after implementing its traffic safety strategy in Riyadh.
Under the slogan, “Your Safety is our ultimate goal,” the RDA also participated in the Traffic Week under the aegis of Riyadh Gov. Khaled bin Bandar. Deputy Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah also attended the event at the King Abdulaziz Historical Center.
The event was organized by the Riyadh Traffic Department in cooperation with RDA and the Riyadh Municipality.
During the opening ceremony, Prince Khaled stressed the importance of traffic awareness and its impact on society.
Abdullah bin Abdul Muhsen, manager of strategic studies at the RDA, briefed Prince Khaled about traffic safety in the city.
He said that the number of traffic accidents decreased significantly over the last 10 years. “Dangerous accidents also decreased remarkably,” he added.
He said most deaths and injuries involved people between the ages of 21 and 30. Muhsen stressed the importance of recording information on traffic accidents. “This will help conduct proper analysis to address the problem,” he added.
More killed on Saudi roads than in Iraqi violence in 2011
