DUBAI, 27 October — The carnage on the roads of the Arabian peninsula came under the spotlight at yesterday’s opening of a “Gulf Traffic” conference and exhibition here.
Abdullah Al-Mogbel, Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister of communications, noted that “each Gulf Cooperation Council country spends one percent of its total GDP to cover the cost caused by road deaths and injuries every year.
“In Saudi Arabia each year we have more than 305,000 road accidents resulting in an average of 3,913 deaths and 28,378 injuries. For every 100,000 people 28 are killed on the Kingdom’s roads every year.”
This compared badly with just six per 100,000 in the United Kingdom, Al Mogbel said.
He blamed “the social behavior of drivers, poor road quality and maintenance, insufficient transport systems ... slow arrival of first aid crews.
“Many drivers don’t follow the rules ... Also, there are a lot of under age drivers while some cars on the roads don’t meet GCC standards and have fake parts and old tires.”
Poor sign-posting, the hot climate and even stray camels all contributed to the carnage, he said, calling for educational awareness and road safety campaigns.
“Investments on road improvements and network expansion are also paramount, as well as the introduction of sophisticated intelligent transport systems (ITS) infrastructure,” A-Mogbel said.
Over 100 companies from 15 countries are participating in the exhibition, which ends on Monday while conference participants intend to draw up a blueprint to improve regional traffic management.
