The General Directorate of Traffic announced that it will add an electronic service to the 993 emergency hotline that was recently launched by the Ministry of Health, for the deaf, cognitively impaired and those with special needs.

The Traffic Department in Riyadh has recently also designated a mobile service for such individuals to receive information and communication via SMS.

Col. Ali Abdullah Al-Dijani, director of the Traffic Department in Riyadh said, “This service aims to develop communication channels between people with special needs and the traffic command and control center, especially in instances in which these individuals need to report a traffic accident or seek the assistance of the department. Upon receiving notification in the operating room, teams will be dispatched to the site of the accident.”

Col. Al-Dijani explained that mobile numbers have been allocated for the interim period until the system is completed, stressing that management is keen on providing comprehensive services to various categories of the community.

The director said that illegal parking is a serious violation that is currently being addressed by the department. He pointed out that the department has dispatched inspectors who monitor vehicles left in undesignated parking spaces and report them for punitive action.

According to Al-Dijani, traffic teams have been assigned to identify and register such violations. The traffic patrol teams have recorded 44,514 parking violations in the capital alone. Patrols have been trained to implement the Traffic Department’s plans and rules regarding parking violations, in coordination with the High Authority for the Development of Riyadh.

The director highlighted that the campaign would continue, with the goal of improving road safety and increasing traffic efficiency.

Last month, traffic patrol teams in Riyadh stopped 137 drifters, of which 58 were arrested on site. The remaining individuals were later captured and placed under suspension, with some serving a six-month suspension penalty, the punishment duration stipulated by the Commission of Traffic Offenses.

In addition, 274 vehicles belonging to both the drifters and the crowd observers were seized, for violating traffic rules and committing other defilements such as changing the colors of their vehicles without authorization and installing unregistered panels.

Al-Dijani confirmed that the Traffic Department would not tolerate drifting and would continue to crack down on individuals participating in such unlawful activities.

He also stressed the important role played by parents in alerting their children to the dangers of speeding and drifting. The director cautioned against the upcoming school examination period, as students usually finish their exams and rush to the popular drifting sites.