JEDDAH, 18 March 2007 — The traffic department is in the process of banning the use of mobile phones while driving as part of its efforts to reduce road accidents.
“We are now in the process of banning the use of mobile phones while driving as it causes the driver lose his concentration,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Maj. Gen. Fahad Al-Bishr, director of the department, as saying.
Al-Bishr made the statement after launching the 23rd GCC Traffic Week in Riyadh. He said the new traffic law, which is in its final stage, would make the use of mobile phones while driving a crime punishable by a fine. Once introduced, Saudi Arabia will become the second Gulf country to adopt such a preventive measure.
He said the department would introduce a new license plate system with English letters by the end of this year. “This change was essential as we have a large number of expatriate population who do not know Arabic letters and numbers,” he said.
Al-Bishr said speeders in the Kingdom face tougher penalties than in other countries. People caught speeding have their cars impounded and subjected to jail time, usually 24 hours although the lock-up time will be longer if drivers are caught right before the Thursday-Friday weekend.
Al-Bishr spoke about the merits of GCC traffic weeks in enhancing public awareness and exchanging expertise and experiments. “Traffic departments all over the Kingdom are observing the week from today conducting a variety of informative programs,” he said.
Al-Bishr said traffic awareness campaigns had played a big role in reducing the number of accidents in the Kingdom last year. He urged all drivers to follow traffic regulations for their own safety and the safety of other road users.
According to a report issued by the department, 283,684 traffic accidents took place last year, resulting the death of 5,883 people. The report showed a 2.2 percent decrease in accidents compared to the previous year. It also showed that three people died every three hours last year as a result of accidents.
Meanwhile, highway police have started stopping reckless drivers after the department found 63 percent of total traffic violations (2.88 million) took place on highways in 2006. Highway police detected 1.8 million traffic violations last year.
The new measure is applied on Jeddah-Makkah Expressway, Jubail Expressway, Dammam-Abqaiq Road, Riyadh-Dammam Expressway and Riyadh-Al-Kharj Road.
