Okaz/Saudi Gazette DAMMAM — Maj. Gen. Muhammad Al-Bassami, director general of the Traffic Directorate, announced that ticketing for traffic violations such as driving the wrong-way and entering the roads through the wrong track would begin within 20 days. Addressing the Traffic Safety Forum and Exhibition held in the Eastern Province, he said that there are no women held in detention centers due to their involvement in traffic violations or accidents as most of these cases are minor that do not require arrest. Officials representing more than 30 agencies are taking part in the forum. Al-Bassami said that preparations are under way to open a women's driving school in Al-Ahsa. He said all vehicle inspection stations are currently undergoing renovation and advancement. "The cases of seizure of vehicles due to involvement of joyriding by drivers will be presented to the Traffic Committee and punitive measures will be taken in accordance with the decisions of the committee," he said. Welcoming the linking of traffic violations queries via Absher portal, the Traffic Chief said raising objection to ticketing of any traffic violation is the legitimate right of every citizen. The Absher move has contributed to satisfying everyone as it involves transparency. "The percentage of objection has increased considerably and they are under analysis. There are individuals who have benefited from the objection as this is their right," he said. Al-Bassami attributed the low number of accident deaths in the Kingdom to several reasons, and these included the support of Minister of Interior and the Ministerial Committee for Traffic Safety, effective control, the distribution of powers and tasks, work to identify black points, spread of the technology, and enhanced awareness of motorists. "We are currently working on improving the conduct of motorists and creating a new generation committed to traffic regulations to preserve lives and property," he added. In his speech, Maj. Gen. Khaled Al-Dhubaib, commander of the Special Forces for Road Security, said that the rate of accidents decreased in 2019 to 14 percent compared to 26.5percent in 2016. "The percentage of accident injuries decreased to 13 percent during the same period compared to 27 percent during 2016, while the number of deaths decreased to 3.2 percent in 2019 against 6.7 percent in 2016," he said. Al-Dhubaib announced the launch of an initiative to establish compulsory resting stations for trucks that provide all services and control centers that ensure compliance with safety standards and cutting down of accident rates. "There is also another initiative to compel buses to implement traffic safety standards," he said while stressing at the same time that road security will work to launch an app related to Absher Business to issue public transportation permits for each trip with all data of passengers," he added. For his part, Executive Director of Najm for Insurance Services Muhammad Al-Suleiman said that the use of drones aircraft to survey accident cases without causing any traffic obstruction is a long-term plan that requires some studies with the competent authorities. "There is a new project that relies on installing cameras in the streets and the inspector at the command center can determine the status of the accident and submit his report about the accident," he said, adding that accidents caused by women are less disastrous than that by men.
