Maj. Gen. Suleiman Ajlan, director general of the General Directorate of Traffic, has confirmed plans to extend Saher throughout the Kingdom and regulate driving schools to bring the instruction they provide up to world class standards. Speaking during the closing ceremony of Mithaliah Competition for Driving and the inauguration of the Traffic Accidents Fair at King Abdulaziz University, Ajlan confirmed a committee has been formed to formalize the penalties for traffic violations caught on Saher after it's successful implementation in five provinces. He also emphasized that Saher is just a single part of a coordinated effort to reduce fatalities on the road. “Saher is a technical system to control traffic violations and it is part of an integrated service provided by the Directorate of Traffic. Based on global data, the ratio of traffic fatalities in the Kingdom is extremely high: accidents were the main cause of deaths among males aged 16-36 years during 2010 and 2011, in total 7,153 people died and more than 40,000 people were injured.” “My department is working in coordination with several government bodies on developing traffic awareness to reduce these shocking numbers,” Ajlan added, according to a report in Al-Madinah newspaper. Prof. Essam Kawthar, executive director of the scientific endowment, delivered a speech in which he stressed that having 1,000 participants in the driving competition was in itself a major achievement. “It demonstrates young people's commitment to the care and welfare for the lives of others.” Prof. Osama Taieb also praised the people behind the competition. He hoped that its impact travels well beyond the university. “The competition aims at consolidating the culture of safe driving in the university so that they will be a good example to others. This should in turn should contribute to the reduction of traffic accidents over time.” The director of Jeddah Traffic and director of King Abdulaziz University joined Ajlan and Osama Taieb in giving 20 prizes during the first stage of the driving competition.
