RIYADH — The Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIP) has announced that it will start prosecuting people accused of traffic violations after the Eid Al-Fitr holidays. The announcement follows a decision by the authorities to transfer all powers vested in committees responsible for investigating and prosecuting criminals to the bureau, Al-Hayat newspaper reported. The violation of traffic rules is a crime and accordingly the bureau will prosecute the offenders starting Shawwal 5 (June 29), the first working day after the Eid holidays, the bureau said. The Traffic Department is currently responsible for investigating and collecting information about accidents, verifying the circumstances and determining responsibility. It identifies the reasons and factors that led to the accident in order to determine the criminal responsibility in order to establish the penalty for anyone who causes death or injuries due to an accident. Two years ago, the Ministry of Justice announced the establishment of traffic tribunals to hear cases involving traffic accidents and violations through judicial circles operating under its jurisdiction, and to adjudicate cases arising from traffic accidents, as well as objections against traffic decisions or any other party. Powers vested in the BIP now include investigation of all crimes, including traffic offenses, prosecuting criminals and producing them before courts and enforcing sentences. The bureau hitherto investigated cases of defamation, abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, financial crimes and all public service offenses. The tasks of the Traffic Department will now on include the collection of data on traffic violations and attempting to limit traffic accidents before they occur. The current traffic system stipulates that the competent department shall initiate the procedures for investigating a traffic accident immediately after it occurs. "The procedures shall be completed as soon as possible. If the accident results in death or serious bodily injury, the driver must be detained for not more than 72 hours. Investigation of traffic accidents is the responsibility of officers and personnel working in traffic departments," the system states. In each Traffic Department there shall be at least three members with experience and competence headed by an officer and a legal adviser. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rate of road accidents and deaths in the world. The number of accidents exceeds half a million annually, and road accidents are the third leading cause of death after heart disease and high blood pressure in the Kingdom. Accidents result in 7,000 deaths in Saudi Arabia a year. The number of serious injuries exceeds 38,000 while approximately 2,000 people become crippled due to accidents each year. Official statistics indicate that the Kingdom loses 21 people per 100,000 population due to road accidents every year. The number of vehicles in the Kingdom is twice that of Britain where three people die of accidents per 100,000 population every year. The number of deaths in the Kingdom is 10 times that of Britain, according to the Traffic Safety Committee in the Eastern Province. Deaths as a result of road accidents in urban areas account for 60 percent of all road accidents. Accidents on highways are 40 percent of the total. The cost of traffic accidents is estimated between SR7.9 billion and SR16.1 billion in 10 years.
