DAMMAM: A call has gone out to change the behavior of drivers, even as it was revealed during the launch of a traffic exhibition that road accidents claimed 2,599 lives and resulted in 8,036 injuries, mostly involving youths, during the last Hijri year.

Inaugurating the 3rd Traffic Safety Forum & Expo 2015 under the title, “Youth and Traffic Safety, here on Monday, Eastern Province Governor Prince Saud bin Naif said it is necessary to apply new mechanisms to change the behavior of drivers behaviors which led to serious consequences, including deaths, injuries and economic losses.

“This requires hard work to find out the traffic safety requirements and codify them in a scientific way to achieve the desired results in reducing accidents and modifying traffic behavior,” he said.

The three-day event has been organized by the Saudi Society for Traffic Safety in collaboration with the University of Dammam, Saudi Aramco, Traffic Safety Council in the Eastern Province (EP), General Directorate of Traffic, Education Ministry, Traffic Safety Committee and the General Presidency of Youth Welfare.

Prince Saud said: “The EP has taken further steps on awareness by implementing various programs and strategies, including the establishment of the EP Traffic Safety Committee and the Saudi Traffic Safety Society, Saudi Aramco’s Chair for Traffic Safety, the traffic engineering and transportation bachelor program in Dammam University, as well as the EP Ideal Driver Award.”

He urged people to be more cautious while driving in view of the Meteorology department’s forecast of inclement weather in the coming days.

Dammam University rector Abdullah Al-Rubaish said traffic safety is an educational approach and community-based culture aimed at traffic awareness among young people.

“Statistics indicate that the mortality rate among young people due to traffic accidents is 75 percent of the total accidental deaths. Hence, this forum to assert the young generation’s key role in traffic safety efforts,” he said.

Abdullah Al-Zahrani, director general of the General Directorate of Traffic in the Kingdom, confirmed that traffic accidents have become a worldwide problem that leads to a high rate of deaths, particularly youths.

He said that the Kingdom has spared no efforts to reduce its causes through systematic and comprehensive programs. “During 2014, statistics indicated that road accidents resulted in 2,599 deaths and 8,036 injuries, mostly youths,” he said.

Amin Al-Nasser, chairman and chief executive of Saudi Aramco, called on the authorities concerned to adopt a plan to reduce the rate of accidents in the Kingdom to 10 percent per year, to reach the global average by the end of 2017.

“Road accidents in the Kingdom lead to the death of nearly 25 people daily, and SR21 billion economic losses annually,” Al- Nasser said, adding that Aramco has so far invested around SR300 million, and plans to invest SR200 million during the next five years in the field of traffic safety.