A damaged car is towed away after an accident in Jeddah. – Archives Saudi Gazette DAMMAM – Once again, motorists are urged to observe road courtesy and be patient during Ramadan. It has been a common practice for many drivers to drive well beyond the speed limit in order to reach their destination in time for the breaking of the fast. “The traffic department of the Eastern Province police strictly enforces the law during Ramadan by positioning police traffic cars at major intersections within the Greater Dammam area because the presence of police vehicles serves as a warning to motorists not to drive fast. Safe driving during the holy month is also part of our year-round campaign,” an officer at the Dammam traffic police department said. “Most motorists know that fasting can cause drowsiness, and therefore it is always the task of traffic police to warn drivers not to speed so that they can reach home safely for Iftar,” he said. Local corporate groups, such as Saudi Aramco and the affiliated SABIC companies, have also joined the safe driving campaign during Ramadan by using their in-house bulletins to urge their employees to observe traffic rules and to be courteous to other drivers during the holy month. Expatriate motorists, through their respective organizations, are warned to be extra careful while driving during Ramadan. “Some local motorists who are fasting during Ramadan have the tendency to speed, so it is always safe to be defensive while driving,” Dr. Allan Notarian, adviser of the Filipino Overseas Workers Association (FOWA), told members. A recent study of the Department of Accident and Emergency of King Khaled National Guard Hospital in Jeddah indicated that road traffic accidents are a major health hazard in the Kingdom during Ramadan. The World Health Organization has recorded that Saudi Arabia has a very high number of deaths due to road accidents, which is the principal cause of death in adult males aged 16 to 36. The King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) has warned that if the rise in motor vehicle accidents in the Kingdom is not checked, there will be more than four million traffic accidents a year by 2030. __
