I am simply baffled by people, especially the youth, at their attitude toward the traffic department. Why do these people not respect the traffic department and the laws of the streets? There is nothing worse than people not respecting traffic laws. By not respecting the traffic laws, they turn our streets into danger zones that are a virtual nightmare to traverse. Is this callous and careless attitude of these people necessary or warranted? I believe that traffic violators break the rules because they do not feel the presence of the traffic officials on the road, or they are sure that they can take advantage of their leniency, and in most cases beat the rap with a slight tap to their wrists. I do not see much difference between those who do not respect the rules of the street and criminals and thieves. Although both are different and do things that are totally different, they have one thing in common — they terrorize the innocent. Respecting traffic laws should be inculcated in everyone and only then would the streets be relatively safe. The careless attitude of disrespecting traffic laws should be countered seriously with stiff penal actions. The number of people dying every year as a result of traffic accidents is increasing and not showing any signs of slowing down. I really appreciate the traffic department's introduction of the Saher system, which is monitored by a private company and has succeeded in lowering the accident rate. The traffic department should take a leaf out of the Saher's book to expand monitoring of the traffic and introducing stiffer penalties. I remember reading in a newspaper about a dangerous intersection in Makkah that caused many accidents every day, some of them fatal. When Saher was installed in that intersection, the accident rate there dropped to near zero for a whole month. What the Saher system also showed was that the participation of the private sector is a successful experience. Then why do we not expand it to a macro level? Jeddah streets and the streets all over the Kingdom see a host of violators, some inadvertently but mostly by intent. Drivers do not respect the simplest law of the street. The streets are full of drivers not wearing seatbelt, full of drivers with expired documents — some even without licenses, full of drivers parking their cars the wrong way or in the middle of the street, full of drivers who speed without respecting the traffic speed-limit sign. Worst of all, we have drivers running a red light even in the presence of a traffic officials standing on the corner organizing the traffic. I feel sorry for the officer sometimes because he cannot leave his post and yet see all the violations being committed in front of him. If that is not defying the law then what is? I think the traffic department needs help from the private sector to restore peace and order on our streets. Especially with reports that the traffic department is overloaded and suffering from staff shortage. If that is true than they should get help. The Saher system is run by a private company and showing good results in detecting violators and reducing accidents rate in many regions. The large number of violations committed indicates that the traffic department cannot be present everywhere at the same time. To override this problem, a video clip I saw could provide the solution. The clip was from the Kuwait Traffic Department, which showed them using public cameras in various locations to detect violations. They caught cars parked the wrong way on major streets, drivers not wearing seatbelts and drivers blocking traffic path who are filmed secretly with the camera zooming in to the capture the license plate without the driver knowing it. The driver then receives an SMS of the traffic violation and cannot dispute it because it captures the violation, time and location. If the traffic department cannot implement the idea, then I am sure a private company will see it as a good idea to invest in. Not only would they get good returns but would be doing public a service. Companies can install these cameras in all major intersections and streets and in areas where parking is a premium. This will strike fear into the hearts of all traffic violators because they know the eye in the sky is watching and waiting. There are times when police and the traffic department launch campaigns against violations and peace is restored temporarily.The order lasts for a short time and then things slip back again to its chaotic conditions. People will respect the law when they see police presence everywhere and not seasonal strike against violators. We have now passed the stage of creating awareness and educating drivers about the rules of the streets. They must have known the rules to get their licenses, and the repeated refreshers through campaigns should be reminders against violations. Only stiff actions would deter the reckless and protect the innocent. As for the reckless drivers, the best way to hurt them is to hurt their pockets. They will only learn the hard way when they see the government deducting a good chunk of money every month from their bank accounts. — The author can be reached at [email protected]
