A week ago, a young man and his friend met with a tragic end in an accident while he was drifting his car recklessly. A video footage of the scene which happened on a road in west Riyadh is still being circulated through YouTube. This stunt driving accident triggers a question about the reasons for our failure to put an end to this phenomenon that we have been experiencing for several years. The reasons for stunt driving are no longer a secret. All people in the society know very well that family, society and its institutions have a role in it. Our problem is that we devote to carry out researches and psychological studies but ignore the role of the concerned authorities in protecting society. We tackle the phenomenon of stunt driving with our rules and regulations after counting it as a traffic violation. We simply punish those who commit such offenses by taking their vehicles into custody. Frankly speaking, this is not a complicated problem but mostly a simple administrative matter. What prompts a stunt driver to change his behavior when he crosses the border points to UAE or Bahrain and completely adhere to traffic rules? He drives the same vehicle, with which he used to practice stunt driving on our streets. The only difference here is the individuals and system that will deal with him in case he practices reckless driving! Did we fail in certain things where others were successful? Our attitude of blaming each other with regard to the responsibility and not taking stringent punitive action against those involved in such acts have resulted in increasing this phenomenon on our roads. This stunt driving and reckless drifting of vehicles happen even on service roads and squares near schools as well as on expressways in the midst of a large number of vehicles. Is there any logic in staying silent to the menace or resorting to inaction by the concerned authorities? This happens at a time following the successful implementation of the Saher electronic traffic monitoring system. When we wanted to make it a successful experiment to prevent traffic violations, we intensified our efforts to achieve it and were able to implement it within a few months. We did it without taking it to the Shoura Council and without taking into account the opposition raised by some members of the Shoura about the method of its implementation. Implementation of Saher system shows our determination to enforce the traffic rules and regulations strictly and take penal action against those who violate them. If we come to the stunt driving accident that took place on the western ring road, we can see that all those using this road especially the north western part of the road during night witness such practices of reckless driving and tragic accidents. But it is unfortunate that the Traffic Department and especially its unmarked patrol teams are not monitoring what is happening on this road and the Jeddah road after implementation of the Saher system. Traffic officials should shoulder their responsibilities in ensuring safety of road users from these stunt drivers who are the cause of many accidents. While we are sympathetic for the death of these stunt drivers, we should feel more sympathy toward those innocent people who died or were crippled due to accidents caused by these reckless people who then fled away from the accident spot. For such victims, there is no YouTube clip to glorify them.
