BURAIDAH, 11 February 2004 — A 36-year-old Saudi died and an Indian driver was injured when their taxi collided with a group of camels on Monday night in Al-Bandariyah, 50 km east of Buraidah. Three camels died and one was injured.
The accident occurred late at night on a two-lane road when a group of camels suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, smashing into the windshield of the car and killing the passenger, Muhammad Abdul Hadi Al-Onazy.
Police are still searching for the camels’ owner. “The brand, traditionally used to identify a camel’s owner and which is on the animal’s neck, is one that we do not recognize,” said Muhammad Abdul Rahman of the Asyah traffic police.
“Accidents involving camels on roads have always been a problem and have cost the lives of hundreds of Saudis and expatriates,” said Ali Saeed Al-Ghamdi, the head of the National Committee for Traffic Safety.
Ninety percent of traffic accidents caused by camels occur between dusk and dawn, said Al-Ghamdi.
“Limited visibility at night is a major problem for drivers as it is difficult to avoid hitting a camel if you are driving faster than 100 kph.”
He pointed out that 80 percent of roads are two-lane and with no barrier of any sort between the lanes. “It is a big problem demanding collaboration from various governmental sectors such as the highway traffic patrol, the Ministry of Transport and province governors.
“Camel owners are legally obliged to supervise their animals and provide them with reflective belts in order to warn drivers. “Camel owners do not follow the law because they know it is not enforced,” Al-Ghamdi explained.
The National Committee for Traffic Safety and the Ministry of Transport have carried out a special study to find ways to solve the problem. “We have tried a Swedish chemical compound to deter animals from crossing the road but the experiment was unsuccessful,” explained one official.
Another possibility is to have barriers along the roads which would keep camels from getting onto the roads. Al-Ghamdi pointed out, however, that vigilance was the first and best defense especially when driving on unfamiliar rural roads.
