AL-RASS – The Rass-Nabhaniya Road serves more than 200 villages and townships in two governorates but many fatal accidents have occurred on the road due to its narrowness, broken asphalt, lack of fencing and speeding in the past. Okaz/Saudi Gazette visited about 30 townships in the area to hear what its residents have to say about this dangerous road and the suffering they had due to accidents. "We have been suffering from this catastrophic road for many years," said Fahd Tarees Al-Harbi. He emphasized the need to widen this vital road on both sides to accommodate more vehicles considering the increasing traffic. "Traffic police should keep a close watch on speeding motorists to reduce the number of fatal accidents," he added. He said there are more than 200 villages and townships along the road from Al-Rass to Qassim-Madinah Expressway passing by Nabhaniya. The road has a diversion that will take you to Taif and Makkah. He urged the Transport Ministry to take quick steps to ensure safety of motorists. Sulaiman Al-Rumaih also highlighted the danger posed by the road to motorists and passengers and urged the authorities to repair the road as quickly as possible taking steps to reduce accidents. "A contract has been awarded to repair the road," he added. Khaled Al-Tuwaijri, who was the victim of a potential accident on the road about two years ago, said: "The accident occurred while I was traveling to Makkah with my family to perform Umrah and take part in the taraweeh prayer during the holy month of Ramadan." He added: "A camel lying on the road caught me off guard. By the grace of God, I was able to stop my car and save myself and my family from potential danger. The ministry should take immediate action to remove the death traps on this road and construct fences to prevent camels and other animals from crossing the road, endangering the lives of motorists and passengers." The ministry should also construct barriers to prevent speeding and more police officers should be deployed to control traffic on the road because speeding is one of the main causes of accidents on the road. "In my opinion either the road should undergo maintenance and repair works immediately or it should be closed considering the growing number of fatal accidents," he said.
