A private traffic company is scheduled to take charge of mapping and investigating traffic accidents in Jeddah within the next four months, said Col. Muhammad Hassan Al-Qahtani, chief of the Jeddah Traffic Department. Private traffic companies started earlier in Riyadh and Dammam. Through its investigators who have been trained by the traffic department, the company will be tasked with providing the traffic department with complete traffic accident reports including the fault percentage on drivers involved, assessment of damages and full insurance information of motorists. The private traffic company will start receiving accident reports through the traffic department hotline, but soon they will have an operation room of their own and unified uniform. The new traffic law, which started to be in effect last September, stipulates that if a ticket is not paid within 30 days, it will be increased to the maximum in its violation category, Qahtani said. Tickets can be paid through banks using the ticket number and date of issuance so as to avoid late fees, he said. The roads are closely monitored by the secret police who registered 35,715 traffic violations during this month alone in Jeddah, he said. Saudi drivers had a big chunk of 23,566 tickets. According to the new traffic law, the traffic police have the authority now to detain drivers on nine traffic violations including: driving under the influence of liquor, jumping the red light, careless maneuvering between vehicles, taking the wrong road, going 25 kph over the speed limit, overtaking and passing vehicles in prohibited areas such as on double-lined roads, driving with faulty headlights, brakes and other basic safety equipment, and hot-rodding. The old traffic law had only three cases eligible for detention.
