A spokesman at the Traffic Department has said that just under a quarter of road accidents occurring in the Kingdom are the result of speeding.

He reiterated importance of the “Saher” surveillance system, saying it is a national project that works according to the global “build–operate–transfer” (BOT) system, which is used in most countries of the world.

His statements came in the wake of a local newspaper reporting that accident rates were up from 2009, when the surveillance system did not exist.

Col. Ali Al-Rashidi, a spokesman for the Traffic Department, said the electronic control system gives positive results that register a 30 to 70-percent accuracy rate worldwide.

Al-Rashidi said that traffic statistics show that 24.6 percent of accidents are the result of speeding, while accidents resulting from crossing red lights account for 21.4 percent.

“Sixty percent of traffic-related deaths take place on major external roads and highways,” said Al-Rashidi.

He said that youth account for 72 percent of traffic-related deaths.

“The General Directorate of Traffic has published reports that show a decline in traffic-related injuries and deaths at hospitals,” he said.

Reports previously published by newspapers, however, show that traffic-related deaths increased by 24 percent in 2012 to 21 deaths daily, compared with 17 deaths per day in 2009.