With regard to the article “We have collectively failed!” (Dec. 18), it seems as though our traffic police have stopped policing since the Saher system was instituted. I have observed cars speeding at 140-160 kmh while traffic police sit in a vehicle and do nothing about it. A lot of the traffic police sit in their cars and play with their mobiles. Strict enforcement by police and a comprehensive awareness program must be initiated to change this situation. More and more people are being killed every day on the Kingdom's roads. Even war-torn countries probably do not see so many deaths every year. Mahesh, Online response II. A practical solution would be to make the roads bad with speed breakers (pits and bumps - no maintenance) so that no one would be able to drive fast! Luckily, there are not many two-wheelers who could get injured. Given the best roads and best cars asking people to drive slow is useless. Considering the number of drivers crossing red lights and making turns from the extreme right to left or making u-turns, the number of accidents are actually fewer than they might be. The reason is that over the years, defensive drivers have learned to watch out and stop for these gentlemen and children! Abraham, Online response III. A comparison of my visits to the Dallah licensing office in Riyadh in 2009 and 2013 indicates that nothing has improved. Trying to park your car on the road by the Dallah office is a demonstration of everything that is wrong with driving in Saudi Arabia today. There is absolutely no structure or logic behind the issuance of driving licenses. Mack, Online response IV. I am a traffic safety engineer and educationalist at KFUPM in Dhahran. I have been tackling this issue for about 30 years through articles like this, but in vain. The situation is going from bad to worse. I strongly believe that solving this matter resides in establishing a ministry dedicated to traffic engineering and safety. In countries like the US and in Europe there are administrations dedicated to dealing with the planning, design and operation of traffic engineering. Dr. Shukri Al-Senan, Online response V. The biggest problem is not speeding, it is reckless driving, and to fix it you need strict law enforcement. The laws are there, and I have actually seen a points demerit system at Dallah, similar to what you see in the US. But has this ever been strictly enforced? Absolutely not! A few weeks a go a police squad car slowed down before a speed-cam and flashed his hazards to warn us about it! Omar, Online response
