The number of vehicles on Saudi roads today is estimated at 14 million, which itself could be considered as enough cause for the frequent car accidents that result in large numbers of deaths each year in the Kingdom. However, a study conducted at the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology has narrowed down this phenomenon, and has identified four behaviors that often lead to accidents on roads.

Speeding was found to be first among the causes leading to catastrophes on our roads. Four years ago, the traffic department installed cameras along major roads in order to monitor speeds inside cities as well as on highways across the Kingdom. Despite the controversy surrounding the method used to monitor these speeds, the traffic department claims that the system has contributed to a reduction in the number of accidents by 35 percent in Jeddah.

The second cause of large number of fatal accidents on Saudi roads was found to be the incorrect overtaking of vehicles, according to the KACST study.

Crossing into the oncoming lane in order to overtake other cars was discovered to be a practice that leads to major accidents, while a driver who is found committing this violation could be jailed up to 10 years. The number of accidents caused by this dangerous practice is estimated at more than 5,000 annually in Jeddah alone, the Al-Arabiya television channel reported on Friday.

Abrupt stopping without warning is another deadly practice that was found to be a major cause of car accidents, especially at intersections before the traffic signals change to red. Finally, poor tire conditions was also found to be a leading cause of accidents in the Kingdom.