TURBA: Locals in the region of Turba and Al-Khurma have expressed their dismay at the state of the Turba-Taif Road, which they say is full of cracks and potholes which have led to numerous accidents, dozens of them fatal. They also say that the road lacks a police presence as well as ambulance services. “The road has become a real danger to anyone who uses it,” said Hamoud Salim. “It's a death trap, and has claimed lots of lives because of the splits in the surface, and the holes and sudden drops. Those have been the main causes of most accidents that have occurred on the road.” Salim said that despite the road being an important connection between the region of Asir and the Western Province, there are still insufficient emergency services such as ambulances and medics to attend to the victims of accidents. “We still remember the two horrific accidents that happened on the road that killed ten people, all from a single family, and seven others, also from the same family,” he said. “The Ministry of Transport needs to put an end to the sufferings of people who use this road.” Naif Al-Baqami said the nomenclature “Road of Death”, had become the most popular way of referring to the road by people in the region. “It has killed dozens and injured hundreds,” he said. “The added danger is that it passes through grazing land for camels, and a lot of stray animals wander on to the road. A lot of large, heavy vehicles also use the road, and many of them are breaking regulations by carrying loads over the legal weight and so use the road to avoid weighing scales on main roads, as this road has no checkpoints or traffic police center.” At night, he says, the road becomes an even scarier prospect for motorists. “The road is not very wide and it's difficult to overtake, and there are a lot of head-on accidents. The road is used a lot by illegal immigrants trying to get from the south of the Kingdom to Makkah and Taif, and they drive at crazy speeds, putting everyone's lives in danger.” He said that young people “do not seem to learn the lessons”, and that they lack all awareness of good driving behavior and respect for motoring regulations. “They need to learn to not exceed the speed limit,” he said. “And the authorities need to sort out the condition of the road as soon as possible and make it safe for everyone.”
