JEDDAH, 5 August — Ten people including six Saudis, three Syrians and a Kuwaiti were killed in road accidents in various parts of the country on Friday, press reports said yesterday. Four Saudis, including a four-year-old girl, perished in an accident on the Taif-Baha Road.
Two Syrians died on Rafha-Arar Road when their car crashed into a trailer truck registered in Jordan. Another Syrian died after his car overturned on Rafha-Layna road that leads to Riyadh.
In another terrible accident caused by speeding near Hafr Al-Baten, a Kuwaiti youth, aged 20, was killed and two Saudis were injured. “The Kuwaiti driver lost control at a turning and the car spun out from the main road killing him instantly,” Al-Jazirah newspaper reported yesterday. The Saudis were thrown out of the vehicle.
In Bani Malik, two Saudis were killed and a Saudi couple were hurt in another traffic accident. The mishap occurred when the car of a Saudi, who was traveling with his wife on Taif-Bani Malik Road, hit a pickup truck while overtaking. The accident killed the Saudi driver of the car and a passenger in the truck.
In yet another accident on Friday, three of a family escaped with minor injuries when their car cartwheeled on the Taif-Baha road, Al-Madinah daily said.
Saudi Arabia has one of the highest accident rates in the world. An average of 700 accidents, mostly involving youngsters, occurs daily on Saudi roads during the summer holidays, according to a recent study. Officials blame majority of accidents on speeding or negligence of traffic rules.
