Residents of Baljorashi Province are blaming the province's Transport Administration for accidents on its widening mountain roads which they claim have no protective concrete barriers on its bends. A number of accidents have taken place on the province's most dangerous Alabna mountain road. The last accident took place Wednesday when five members of one family were killed and six were seriously injured after their vehicle plunged off the road. Abdullah Al-Arfaji, Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, and Saeed Saleh of the area said residents have demanded the administration at least place concrete barriers on the slope-side of the road to prevent vehicles from plunging into the valley area from the mountain. Chief of Al-Baha's Traffic Police, Col. Saleh Al-Juaid, agreed with the proposals and said the Transport Administration “must provide safety measures for the area.” He said the administration has already been approached on the matter. Al-Baha's Transport Administration Director, General Abdulaziz Badawi, has rejected the accusations and has blamed drivers for being the “main factors” in the accidents. He said the accidents were caused by either speed, negligence, or vehicle problems. “But that does not mean the roads don't need maintenance,” he said, adding that the administration has signed a three-year maintenance contract for all roads in the province. “Placing barriers on the Alabna mountain road is included,” he said.
