Some lawbreakers have the gall to complain that their rights are being usurped when confronted by their misdeeds. This was very evident during the early days of the introduction of the traffic monitoring system (Saher). Some clerics even got into the act claiming that not warning motorists of the existence of Saher cameras was an un-Islamic act of deception. But driving in Saudi Arabia is literally like taking your life in your hands and propelling it toward an uncertain abyss. You never can tell when your vehicle will be blindsided or rear-ended by a road warrior pushing his gas pedal to the floor and intent on getting nowhere fast, extremely fast. Bad driving habits have become a culture that dangerously borders on acceptance as even traffic enforcement officials have been accused of looking the other way. Add to it the grudging acceptance of most motorists that this is the way of life and then the situation has no hope of ever changing. Most people will, however, admit that the enforcement of traffic laws is not uniform and consistent. It does not strike dread in the hearts of wrongdoers who feel they can get away with all their excesses behind the wheel. That is why the introduction of Saher was important. It is primarily an automated system for the management of traffic via an electronic network covering major cities in Saudi Arabia. While the system offers a complexity of services, most motorists are concerned with the monitoring of their violations by Saher cameras located alongside roads and highways. Once caught, the recorded snapshot is sent to the violation processing center indicating the make of the vehicle and the license plate number. Almost immediately, the offender will receive an SMS on his mobile phone indicating the fine he will have to pay. Under normal circumstances, there is very little room for error. But lawbreakers often take the extra step to avoid detection. One way is to obscure their vehicle license plate with a light coat of paint or to alter the numbers with marking pens. Another is to replace the original license plate with a stolen one. On highways, lawbreakers often avoid detection by dangerously speeding on road shoulders which are not covered in the camera's focal vision. When some photos of the vehicles of errant drivers showed up on social media, it created a mini storm among those affronted by the disclosures. So much so that the company operating the Saher system at the time was threatened with closure after it had "allegedly posted videos of traffic violators on YouTube" and other social media. Forced to act, the company was considering serious disciplinary measures including temporary suspension without pay for the employees who had breached the privacy of lawbreakers. A source at Saher was reported then as saying that "the company was bombarded with complaints from the drivers in the videos and their family members. They viewed it as an invasion of privacy and this could have legal repercussions. The company carried out an investigation that lasted three months to find out which of its employees posted the company's videos online." A lawyer rising to the defense of the lawbreaking motorists claimed that laws were broken when their reprehensible and often dangerous activities behind the wheels were publicized on social media. "Posting of the videos online breached the protocol of information crimes," he asserted, continuing that "what happened in this case is the company breached violators' right to privacy of information and tarnished their reputation in society. They also announced their names without any legal order to do so." He emphasized that the law "has the right to cancel the commercial license of the company or prevent it from taking on a certain project. Videos of traffic violators or even car accidents are private information entrusted to the company, which has been granted the right to document such incidents to ensure the safety of people, not to tarnish the reputation of violators." He concluded that those employees who exposed the antics of the lawbreakers could be subject to severe fines or imprisonment. Thankfully, the Saher system has now been totally absolved by the Ministry of Interior. But this also leads to the question of the rights of those law-abiding motorists whose lives are often put in danger by these road warriors. Did this lawyer ever wonder how many traffic related casualties Kingdom wide have been associated with speeding and dangerous driving? Did he ever stop to think about how the victim's rights to safe passage on the road disappeared when confronted by these monsters behind the wheel? It makes me angry when people rush to defend lawbreakers and their rights, forgetting about the rights of those victimized by their actions. Why do we take the easy way out with these people? I dread to think of how many burials and funeral wakes we have to attend because of the senseless acts of such whiners. Who speaks for the rights of the dead? Lawbreakers are criminals and should be punished accordingly, especially when their misconduct threatens the well-being of others. Those rushing to protect their civil liberties should reflect a moment or two on the abruptly ended lives of those who are with us no more. — The author can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
