The General Traffic Authority has launched a new automatic system to improve road safety by clamping down on traffic violations, and help motorists by informing them as swiftly as possible of any breaches of traffic law they may have committed. The new system – known as “Saher” – will be put into effect in a number of cities upon the completion of a six-month campaign to make motorists aware of the workings of the system. Saher will use a network of digital cameras linked up to the National Information Center (NIC) which will provide personal information on the motorist in question and then issue violations related to speeding and ignoring traffic lights. Cameras will capture the vehicle's registration plate and send an image to the Traffic Violations Center to check the veracity of the infraction. Watch your mail When it has been decided that a violation has indeed occurred, the NIC will be asked for the vehicle owner's personal details and a traffic violation form will be issued to his address as recorded on the information base. Fixed sensory cameras, detecting any jumping of lights, will be located at traffic lights on main and side roads, capturing images of the motorist and his vehicle's front and rear. Mobile cameras will cover other arteries. The cameras, which are equipped with flashes and will function at all hours, are capable of capturing detailed images of vehicles traveling at high speed. The Saher system, announced at a press conference in Riyadh, Sunday, is part of moves to clamp down on the nine million traffic infractions registered per year with traffic police, resulting in death, injury, and material losses of approximately SR13 billion. “Every 90 minutes a death is recorded due to motor accidents,” said Fahd Bin Sa'oud Al-Bashar, head of the General Traffic Administration. “Someone is injured or left permanently disabled every fifteen minutes.” Al-Bashar added that the new system would raise safety standards on the Kingdom's roads by improving the monitoring of traffic circulation, speeding up the response to incidents, and addressing traffic violations and swiftly informing those responsible via their addresses registered at the interior ministry's NIC. Traffic fines will be payable through the usual system of payment. Motorists can make inquiries concerning any violations at 012928888.
