Traffic authorities in the Eastern Province have approved a plan which they say will reduce traffic accidents by 10 percent in the region. The Eastern Province has the country's second-highest number of traffic accidents and deaths. The plan was announced during a press conference held by the High Committee for Traffic Safety and organized by the Saudi Society for Traffic Safety. Col. Abdul Rahman Al-Shanbari, Director of the Eastern Province Traffic Department, said that the department has approved a strategic plan to reduce traffic accidents by 10 percent in the first year of implementation. “A huge number of traffic accidents take place here due to the delay in implementing infrastructure projects in Greater Dammam, the vast distance between governorates, and the large population.” Al-Shanbari added that the mayoralty, the Ministry of Transport, the Public Sewage Department and communications companies have promised the traffic department that all projects would be completed in six months, which will reduce the percentage of traffic accidents in the province. Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Maidaires, Director of the Education Department in the Eastern Province, also announced a plan to teach traffic safety classes to school students as part of extracurricular activities. “Seven traffic safety classes will be given each semester. There will also be courses and contests about traffic laws to increase students' awareness about traffic laws.” Dr. Abdul Hameed Al-Muajil, Chairman of the Saudi Society for Traffic Safety, said: “The latest statistics have shown that there are over 300,000 traffic accidents in the Kingdom killing 6,000 people and injuring over 30,000.” __
