The head of Traffic Police in Jeddah, Mohammed Al-Qahtani, has said that 18 persons die each day in the Kingdom as a result of traffic accidents. Al-Qahtani, speaking during a meeting on Tuesday to detail the workings of the new traffic system “Saher”, added that automobile accidents incurred losses of around $13 million each year. The number of traffic violations recorded last year in the Kingdom was nine million, with Jeddah alone accounting for one million offenses, according to Al-Qahtani. It is hoped that the Saher system will raise safety standards on the Kingdom's roads by improving the monitoring of traffic circulation, speeding up the response to incidents, addressing traffic violations and swiftly informing those responsible via their addresses registered at the interior ministry's National Information Center (NIC). Saher will use a network of digital cameras linked up to the NIC which will provide personal information on the motorist in question and issue fines for speeding and ignoring traffic lights.
