RIYADH: The Kingdom loses SR50 billion annually due to damage caused to private and public property and injuries to people as a result of traffic accidents, according to a senior academic at Dammam University.

Najah Al-Garawi, dean of community partnerships and associate professor of geography, was speaking to local press regarding Traffic Safety Week which will begin in Dammam on Monday under the aegis of Eastern Province Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif.

She said the losses were heavy including loss of human lives, bodily injuries, damage to private and public property and the cost of medical care on the state.

She pointed out that the number of deaths due to traffic accidents will eventually have a severe impact on the economy of the country due to the loss of valuable human lives.

The professor stressed the need for a public awareness campaign to educate motorists and pedestrians to be aware of the dangers of he road accidents and their consequences upon a developing society. This is a major problem which should focus the country’s youth who will form the generation of the Kingdom’s future.

According to Sultan Al-Zahrani, secretary general of the Traffic Safety Committee in the western province, at least one traffic accident occurs in the Kingdom every minute. There are up to 7000 deaths from traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia every year; there are also more than 39,000 injuries every year in the Kingdom.

The Kingdom ranks at the top of the list of the world’s countries in terms of the number of total traffic deaths per 100,000 persons which is about 21.