Organizers of the campaign have said that they intend to collect millions of votes in order to make their voice heard. They describe Saher as a bad taxation method.
The campaigners say Saher is focusing only on major cities in the country, ignoring small towns. They say Saher is only watching the main roads, leaving joy riders to cause havoc in residential areas without being punished.
The campaigners also cite a fatwa by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh that the doubling of unpaid fines under the system is tantamount to usury. The mufti has called on the traffic authorities to look for alternative punishments instead of doubling the fines.
The director general of Riyadh traffic police Col. Abdul Rahman Al-Muqbil declined to comment on the fatwa during a lecture he delivered at King Saud University.
The director of traffic defended the Saher system, saying it has reduced traffic accidents by about 21 percent and deaths resulting from speeding by about 38 percent since its implementation.
Between the benefits of the Saher system and the mufti’s fatwa, I like to ask: Which of them will win out?
Is it the doubled fines that have reduced traffic accidents or the original fine before it is doubled?
I believe that the traffic police have to take the fatwa into account because, coming from the Grand Mufti, it applies to all government departments.
The traffic police should also install Saher cameras in all towns and villages, along all roads and in all residential areas. The cameras should not only monitor speeding but other violations as well, including joy riding and car thefts.
The other violations detected by Saher cameras can make up for the doubling of fines.
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