A total of 261 accidents took place on roads in the Eastern Province during the recent Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Traffic Week, the Saudi Red Crescent has revealed.

The Red Crescent transferred 94 people to provincial hospitals, while 171 were treated at the accident scenes, said Fahad bin Othman Al-Ghamdi, spokesman for the organization in the region.

“We urge the public to call 997 if they are involved in accidents and we look forward to their cooperation with paramedics.”

He called on motorists to make way for ambulances at accident sites so that medical personnel can get through to treat the injured.

The Red Crescent had received 654 calls from the public during the traffic week. A total of 393 calls involved people falling sick in non-traffic related incidents, with 217 transferred to hospitals, and 172 cared for on site, said Al-Ghamdi.

The GCC Traffic Week was launched in 1984 with a focus on seat belts. It started this year on March 9 under the theme “Your Safety is Our Aim.”

One of the goals of the event was to educate the public, especially young people, about respecting the rules of the road.

More than 7,100 people die and 39,100 are injured every year on the Kingdom’s roads — the victims of reckless drivers. The carnage has risen steadily over the past two decades, according to recent statistics.

In addition to the loss of life, traffic accidents are a huge burden on the national economy, costing the Kingdom billions of riyals annually.

The Eastern Province has the second-highest motor vehicle fatality rate in the Kingdom. Only two out of every 10 motorists use their seat belts or make members of their families wear the life-saving restraints. Victims of traffic accidents occupy one in three hospital beds across the country.