JEDDAH: A Shoura member who uses a wheelchair as a result of a traffic accident suggested that the Saher traffic-monitoring system be reviewed, but not killed. Many people are against the recently approved system, but Dr. Mazin Khayyat, a member of the Social Affairs, Family and Youth Committee at the Shoura Council, said there are two sides to the issue. “The Saher system is meant to protect the citizens, either motorists or pedestrians,” Dr. Khayyat told Saudi Gazette. “It is an excellent system because it can reduce deaths, injuries and casualties. It can also help the government cut down expenses since the Ministry of Health and rehabilitation centers are paying millions of riyals to treat people who are injured in accidents.” Dr. Khayyat called for and independent review of the Saher system. “Every system has its positive and negative sides and here lies the importance of an overall assessment that should be conducted by an outside party, not the Saher people,” he said. “We hear in media that people are divided into two groups; one is with Saher while another is against the system. What I believe is that Saher is a good system, but it should be evaluated every month or at most every three months.” He added that any legal, technical or even religious reservations against Saher can be taken into consideration so that most people would agree to it. Even the Ministry of Transport, he continued, has its road-related reservations about the system. Dr. Khayyat pointed out that the Kingdom is in a critical situation and must not stop Saher, but make some alterations. He called for the use of colored lights on roads in the Kingdom, where nearly 500,000 accidents took place in 2008. “This is a known international system that can guide drivers to the speed limit,” he said. Every day, more than 17 people are killed in Saudi Arabia due to road accidents and a study has estimated that the country annually loses SR13.6 billion due to traffic accidents, Dr. Khayyat said. The World Health Organization has reported that every year, nearly 1.3 million people die in road accidents and nearly third of them are under 25. Experts related those figures at the weekend at an event at Hussein Jameel Hall here to promote an international awareness campaign to improve safety on roads. The initiative, “Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-20,” is overseen by the United Nations and aims to reduce road deaths and injuries across the world by educating drivers about safety. The event was organized by Sokoun Company, chaired by Ehab Saifuddin Al-Samanoudi and attended by Mustafa Tayyan, a representative of World Health Organization, and a number of officials, media representatives and others. As a key participant in the UN initiative, Saudi Arabia has dedicated 3,000 policemen and 230 senior officers for the first phase of awareness program. In all communities, the main challenge with awareness programs is how to change them into practice, said Dr. Sami Badawood, Director of Jeddah Health Affairs Management. He added that everyone knows what activities are unlawful or bad, but the important issue is how to get people to take that into consideration. Dr. Badawood estimated that 30 percent of his ministry's medical services are provided to people injured in road accidents. “The Ministry of Health has made it clear to both government and private medical institutions to admit road accident cases and provide all necessary care, regardless of the person's nationality or residency status,” he said. Dr. Badawood suggested that awareness efforts should include the use of social networking, through sites such as Facebook and Twitter. “Instead of distributing brochures at traffic lights, we can simply post a photo that carries a message on Facebook or any other social networking service,” he said. – Saudi Gazette FACTS & FIGURES n Approximately 17 persons are killed in road accidents in the Kingdom. n Annual losses due to road accidents are estimated at SR13.6 billion. n There were about 50,000 traffic accidents in 2008. n Death rate from accidents in the Middle East had risen in recent years to 23.2 deaths per 100,000 people. __
