Okaz/Saudi Gazette RIYADH — The traffic department is planing to impose harsher punishment for traffic violations, according to Director General of the department Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Zahrani. "Punishment will be made harsher so as to curb traffic violations," he said. Zahrani was talking to journalists after opening the department's new building at the Riyadh airport on Monday. He said that the department will soon launch a program to electronically monitor traffic accidents, check violations and ease bottlenecks. "We are intent on becoming a paperless department doing all our work electronically," he added. Zahrani stressed that the use of mobile phone while driving was a grave violation. He asked motorists not to talk, receive calls, read messages, text or answer calls while they are on the wheel. "Many traffic accidents happen when drivers are busy talking on their mobile phones," he said. The director general advised the drivers to pull over to the roadside if it was extremely necessary to use the mobile phone. He said the department is currently testing a four-wheel motorbike for traffic policemen. "The new motorbike is stable, easy to use and will enable the policemen to arrive at accident sites or areas with heavy traffic jams as fast as possible," he said. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of traffic accidents in the world, according to statistics. Some 7,000 deaths take place in the Kingdom annually because of traffic accidents, which also result in 39,000 injuries every year.
