JEDDAH: From 1999 to 2015, traffic accidents killed 92,000 people and road crash victims occupy 32 percent of hospital beds in the Kingdom.
Over the past 21 months, traffic authorities recorded more than 15,000 drifting violations by citizens and residents, and 449 cases were referred and reviewed by courts over the past five years.
A source at the General Directorate of Traffic said that 7,423 drifting violations were reported over the past nine months, of which 7,180 were violations by Saudi citizens and 263 by expats.
Last year, 7,812 violations, out of a total of 8,456, were by Saudi citizens and 644 by residents.
According to statistics based on data gathered over 16 years, from 1999 to 2015, accidents killed 92,000 people, while the number of injured people as a result during the same period stands at 495,000.
A study conducted by the traffic department revealed that every 10 years the number of people killed because of traffic accidents increases by an annual rate of 130 persons.
In 1999, the number of persons killed because of traffic accidents reached approximately 4,848 people, and in 2009, the number of the deceased increased to 6142 people, with an annual increase of about 5 percent.
If the pace continues, the number of deaths due to traffic accidents is expected to reach 7,400 in 2019, at the monthly rate of 616 persons, 154 people per week, 21 deaths daily, and one death every 69 minutes. The number of people injured due to traffic accidents rises every 10 years by 2,000, a rate increase of 200 people every year. In 1999, the number of injured reached to 32,000, and in 2009 the number increased to 34,000 people.
At this rate, in 2019 the number of injured people is expected to reach about 36,000 per year, an average of 3,000 injured per month in traffic accidents, 750 wounded weekly, 100 injuries a day, and four injuries every hour.
Traffic accidents are responsible for victims who take up 32 percent of hospital beds in the kingdom; most injuries involve broken spines and other bones.
According to doctors, most victims are aged between 18 and 25, an age group that is most prone to such accidents due to excessive speeding and failure to comply with traffic rules.
Consultant orthopedic doctor in surgery and fitting artificial joints Fadel Abdeen said Saher has significantly contributed to reducing the number of such horrendous accidents by forcing drivers to comply with traffic regulations, but there is still urgent need for more awareness campaigns, especially among youth.
Ophthalmology consultant Dr. Yasser Al-Mazroui said traffic accidents are not only responsible for broken bones and fractures, but also for the loss of eyesight in many cases.
He said studies show that Arab countries lose a citizen every 15 minutes to traffic accidents.
Official records also show that more than 500,000 accidents occur annually in the Arab world, resulting in 36,000 deaths and 400,000 injuries and disabilities, besides the tremendous economic losses.
The cost of such accidents in developing countries ranges from $70 to $100 billion annually, with 70 million patients occupying 25 percent of hospital beds annually due to traffic accidents.
Nearly 1.2 million people die from traffic accidents annually around the world, he added, and between 30 and 50 million are injured, of which 30 percent suffer from broken bones.
Eighty percent of these victims live in the developing world, despite the fact that they are home to only 20 percent of the world’s vehicles.
Al-Mazroui emphasized the need for stricter penalties and regulations, especially since most traffic accidents involve drivers crossing the red light.
More awareness, in addition to Saher, is important to limiting such accidents among youth, he said.
Dr. Mohammed Abdulaziz, a consultant rheumatologist, called for adding an article to the traffic regulations concerned with raising awareness about the dangers of traffic accidents among school students.
According to WHO, injuries from traffic accidents ranked 9th in the hierarchy of diseases in 1999, and will rank 3rd in 2020 in low-income countries, due to lack of necessary prevention measures, he said.
“The Council of Ministers’ decision to amend the traffic regulations will have positive repercussions that will provide better security and protection of people,” he said.
Over the past 21 months, traffic authorities recorded more than 15,000 drifting violations by citizens and residents, and 449 cases were referred and reviewed by courts over the past five years.
A source at the General Directorate of Traffic said that 7,423 drifting violations were reported over the past nine months, of which 7,180 were violations by Saudi citizens and 263 by expats.
Last year, 7,812 violations, out of a total of 8,456, were by Saudi citizens and 644 by residents.
According to statistics based on data gathered over 16 years, from 1999 to 2015, accidents killed 92,000 people, while the number of injured people as a result during the same period stands at 495,000.
A study conducted by the traffic department revealed that every 10 years the number of people killed because of traffic accidents increases by an annual rate of 130 persons.
In 1999, the number of persons killed because of traffic accidents reached approximately 4,848 people, and in 2009, the number of the deceased increased to 6142 people, with an annual increase of about 5 percent.
If the pace continues, the number of deaths due to traffic accidents is expected to reach 7,400 in 2019, at the monthly rate of 616 persons, 154 people per week, 21 deaths daily, and one death every 69 minutes. The number of people injured due to traffic accidents rises every 10 years by 2,000, a rate increase of 200 people every year. In 1999, the number of injured reached to 32,000, and in 2009 the number increased to 34,000 people.
At this rate, in 2019 the number of injured people is expected to reach about 36,000 per year, an average of 3,000 injured per month in traffic accidents, 750 wounded weekly, 100 injuries a day, and four injuries every hour.
Traffic accidents are responsible for victims who take up 32 percent of hospital beds in the kingdom; most injuries involve broken spines and other bones.
According to doctors, most victims are aged between 18 and 25, an age group that is most prone to such accidents due to excessive speeding and failure to comply with traffic rules.
Consultant orthopedic doctor in surgery and fitting artificial joints Fadel Abdeen said Saher has significantly contributed to reducing the number of such horrendous accidents by forcing drivers to comply with traffic regulations, but there is still urgent need for more awareness campaigns, especially among youth.
Ophthalmology consultant Dr. Yasser Al-Mazroui said traffic accidents are not only responsible for broken bones and fractures, but also for the loss of eyesight in many cases.
He said studies show that Arab countries lose a citizen every 15 minutes to traffic accidents.
Official records also show that more than 500,000 accidents occur annually in the Arab world, resulting in 36,000 deaths and 400,000 injuries and disabilities, besides the tremendous economic losses.
The cost of such accidents in developing countries ranges from $70 to $100 billion annually, with 70 million patients occupying 25 percent of hospital beds annually due to traffic accidents.
Nearly 1.2 million people die from traffic accidents annually around the world, he added, and between 30 and 50 million are injured, of which 30 percent suffer from broken bones.
Eighty percent of these victims live in the developing world, despite the fact that they are home to only 20 percent of the world’s vehicles.
Al-Mazroui emphasized the need for stricter penalties and regulations, especially since most traffic accidents involve drivers crossing the red light.
More awareness, in addition to Saher, is important to limiting such accidents among youth, he said.
Dr. Mohammed Abdulaziz, a consultant rheumatologist, called for adding an article to the traffic regulations concerned with raising awareness about the dangers of traffic accidents among school students.
According to WHO, injuries from traffic accidents ranked 9th in the hierarchy of diseases in 1999, and will rank 3rd in 2020 in low-income countries, due to lack of necessary prevention measures, he said.
“The Council of Ministers’ decision to amend the traffic regulations will have positive repercussions that will provide better security and protection of people,” he said.
