Saudi Gazette report Following the public campaign against Saher camera operators for concealing camera-mounted vehicles from view, motorists saw a temporary change as the operators responded to the negative press and started parking the cars in visible locations. However, according to a report in Al-Riyadh daily, soon after public outrage simmered down, the operators are back to their old tactics of hiding the vehicles behind trees and even dumpsters, in complete violation of traffic laws that state that motorists be warned of the presence of speed cameras. For Fahad Al-Ghamdi, the practice of installing hidden cameras to catch speeding vehicles should be scrapped because this method has proved to be futile and has not reduced the number of accidents. He added that despite the presence of hidden cameras, reckless motorists still pose a threat to other road users. “Motorists who pose a danger to society with their reckless driving find a way to get around the laws and even resort to hiding their license plates. “Some drivers place stickers over their license plates so that the cameras cannot read the numbers on their plates and they can speed at will. When they get closer to a checkpoint, they take off the sticker so that officers do not ask them to pull over,” he said. Al-Ghamdi called on the authorities to listen to the remarks and observations expressed by the general public on hidden cameras. “One important thing is to ensure that the cameras are here to protect the drivers, nab violators and reckless motorists, not just take their money,” he added. Many motorists criticized the speed cameras and blamed the Saher system for the hefty fines they have to pay. One driver who clocked up SR30,000 in traffic violations and who preferred anonymity, said, “There's no way I can settle these fines. My driver's license has expired and so has my vehicle registration. Every time I go through a checkpoint, police officers pull me over and sometimes impound my car because of these fines,” he said. Dr. Ahmad Al-Bar, sociology professor at Imam Muhammad Bin Saud University, said some motorists conceal their vehicles' license plates from cameras because they believe camera operators care only about money and not catching reckless drivers. These people should realize that the goal of Saher is to protect and not trap them. “In the United Kingdom, it is hard to find a street without a camera and people there are convinced that these cameras are installed to catch violators and rule breakers. There are signs on roads warning people about cameras. Another difference is that offenders can reject a ticket they receive and challenge it in court,” said Al-Bar, while adding that Saher has failed to achieve its real objective of reducing traffic violations because it relies on an inefficient traffic system. Muhammad Abdulsattar, lawyer and legal consultant, said the Kingdom's traffic regulations state that signs warning motorists of the presence of speed cameras should be erected on roads. “Hiding speed cameras from road users can be classified as an attempt to circumvent the laws,” he said, while urging citizens and expatriates who feel they were wrongly ticketed to challenge the fines by going to their nearest Traffic Department office.
