"These devices will enable us to uncover the identity of the driver in a very short time and hence know if his papers are original or fake," he said.
Al-Maghrabi said the traffic police and the passport police were jointly organizing intensive campaigns to ascertain the identities of foreign drivers. "If a foreign driver is working for someone other than his original sponsor, he will be caught and deported immediately," he warned.
The director recalled these campaigns were launched following reports that many drivers, especially Indonesians, often escaped from their sponsors to seek work in Makkah at double the salaries paid by their sponsors.
About the traffic congestions near schools in the holy city, Al-Maghrabi said the traffic police was coordinating with the department of education to appoint some students to work as traffic policemen so as to organize traffic, especially in the mornings and afternoons. "We are unable to place a traffic policeman in front of every school, so we resorted to students to help in this regard," he added.
The director pointed out that some car insurance companies failed to honor their agreements with the insurers. "Some insurance companies make it difficult for their policyholders by asking them to come in person to the company within two weeks in case of an accident, otherwise he will not be compensated," he said. "But what will a policyholder do if he has an accident in Makkah and the company is headquartered in Riyadh?" he questioned.
