Laura Bashraheel Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – A YouTube video showing four men in Madinah firing at a Saher camera went viral on Saturday. In the video, the men's faces were covered as one of them fired at the camera with a rifle. The sniper, however, made sure the road was clear first so he could shoot at the camera from a distance. The men urged the government to put an end to Saher as traffic fines have drained their pockets. One of the men said: “We have bills and debts to pay.” The sniper fired two bullets at the camera, hitting the target while a famous patriotic song by the late singer Talal Maddah called “Watani Al-Habeeb (My Dear Country)” played in the background. Despite how humorous the video might appear, there have been many incidents involving attacks on Saher equipment and staff. People posted the video on Twitter using a hashtag called “Guys firing on Saher”. One tweeter said Saher is a good idea but the way the system is enforced is terrible, while another said that he received fines worth SR4,000 when he had only gone 10 miles over the speed limit. Many applauded the men in the video, adding what they had done was a good thing because they believed Saher was “stealing” money from people. Others just said the video is humorous due to the song that played in the background and the fact they said their full names while shooting at the camera. The Saher traffic monitoring system, which uses cameras and radars to levy fines against drivers who speed and run red lights, has not been popular with motorists ever since it was introduced on the Kingdom's roads in 2010. In July there was a series of incidents in Buraidah where Saher cars were attacked. Two Saudis pulled over next to a Saher vehicle in a pickup truck and threw a metal bar on the car, smashing the window and injuring the driver. In September last year, a youth threw an iron bar at a Saher car while driving at high speed. The rod broke the windshield, damaging cameras and other equipment inside. A young Saudi Saher employee was gunned down while on duty in February. Humood Al-Maymoon, 24, was also killed while on duty as a Saher employee, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported. Al-Maymoon was driving a vehicle containing Saher camera equipment on the Taif-Riyadh highway in mid-2010 when he was shot at as he approached a flyover, 160 kilometers from Riyadh. Al-Maymoon died in the attack and his vehicle caught fire. His family sued Saher for not providing protection to their son despite previous threats against Saher employees. Two hearings were held at Riyadh General Court but neither one was attended by a representative from Saher.
