SAHER Pow! Pow! Molouk Y. Ba-Isa Saudi Gazette In Al Khobar the best entertainment on weekday mornings isn't found on the radio or at a shopping mall. No, if you're interested in watching something really incredible, then go stand outside Gulf Center at the intersection of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz and Prince Turki Streets near Al Khobar's seaside and view SAHER in action. For those who may not be aware, SAHER is an automated traffic control and management system which covers major metropolitan areas in Saudi Arabia. It operates through digital cameras networked with the Ministry of Interior's National Information Center. The cameras are posted at intersections and along roadsides. One of the roles of SAHER is to try to reduce the carnage on Saudi roads by imposing penalties on vehicles that break traffic laws. But many drivers, even though they are licensed, don't understand traffic laws. That's creating a generally hilarious, but also potentially deadly situation every morning outside Gulf Center. The “entertainment" at that intersection results due to the drivers of many vehicles in the far right lane being unaware of the Right Turn on Red Rule. Instead of coming to a complete stop for two seconds at the designated sign and then turning right, they simply stop until the light turns green. Drivers in the right-turn lane who do understand the rule are furious. Those drivers start honking their horns. Often, when the noise reaches a crescendo, the ignorant driver at the front will turn right. What happens next is astonishing. All the drivers who have been stuck in the right turn lane have become crazed and senseless. They step on the gas, accelerate forward and turn right - without stopping for the required two seconds. Pow! Pow! The camera flashes, usually catching at least two violators before the third car in line comes to a halt. The driver of that car is of course terrified as each flash of the SAHER camera registers a whopping fine. He won't move until the signal turns green no matter how loud the honking becomes. It's a fiasco every weekday morning. After watching traffic at the Gulf Center intersection for months, it's clear that expatriate drivers are the ones who are unaware of the Right Turn on Red Rule. To prevent violence, urgent action is needed by leaders of the various expat communities to inform drivers on the particulars of the rule. Sometimes, when the driver at the front of the lane doesn't turn right, another driver in the lane will be overcome with rage. He will get out of his vehicle, go to the front of the right lane and a fight starts. One morning a driver in a large pickup truck actually drove on the sidewalk to the front of the lane, stopped and threatened to push the offending driver around the turn if he didn't move. The only good thing is that this violence is happening directly across from the Al Khobar Police Station, so if a beating does occur, help will be quickly on hand. Even if you have a Saudi Driver's License, you may want to review the rules of the Kingdom's roads. The Driver's Manual in English may be read online through http://issuu.com/roseofgarden/docs/ dallah_saudi_arabia_driving_instructions. Review all the traffic signs online through http://issuu.com/roseofgarden/docs/signs. Everyone who owns a vehicle should register at https://eservices.moi.gov.sa/ES/Public/UpdateMobileSMS.aspx to ensure that an SMS for any traffic violation is sent to the registered mobile. Alternatively, check directly in English through the Ministry of Interior website at www.moi.gov.sa/wps/portal. To query violations, just click on the E-Services tab at the top of the page and then the Traffic tab on the left menu. Remember that not all penalties are imposed for moving violations. For instance fines may be assessed for illegal parking, offensive stickers on the car exterior or tinted windows. Many drivers have found that they had registered violations of which they were unaware. Unpaid violations halt the issuance of government documents such as residence permits and exit/reentry visas.
