Beshr, Director General of Police Traffic in the Kingdom, says the Experts Commission at the Council of Ministers has approved in principle the enforcement of the compulsory insurance on government vehicles. He pointed out that the system defining the process has already been submitted to the Ministry of Finance and will be applied soon. Al-Beshr who made a tour of the Indemnities Section at Al-Tawnyia in Riyadh on Wednesday said the Ministry of Interior has adopted a number of measures that have made it mandatory for insurance companies to be registered in the National Information Center so as to prevent any deceit and fraud being carried out in their name. He made it clear that those insurance companies which fail to register in the center within two months will not be allowed to operate in the country pointing out that the reference of these companies is the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA). He said computerization of the traffic administration will reduce the waiting period for service seekers and the crowds in traffic offices, stressing that compulsory insurance reduced traditional penalties, such as, impounding of vehicles, detention of guarantors and payment of fines. He also commended Najm Company for its successful experience in writing reports about traffic accidents, saying, “The reason behind the increase in traffic accidents in the Kingdom is the growth of the population and increase in the number of cars, which is now estimated at seven million.” Last year, he said, traffic accidents in the Kingdom killed 64,000 people and injured 360,000, noting that his administration will give motorists new license plates in exchange for the one's issued to them which contain the letters of indecent words.
