DHULUM: Motorists who use the Taif to Riyadh Highway have expressed their dismay at the danger posed by fragments of vehicle tires in the middle of car lanes and say they have been the cause of “numerous and horrific accidents”. “It's not just bits of tires either,” said Fahd Al-Otaibi, a frequent user of the road. “Sometimes you come across entire tires that have fallen from trucks and come to a halt in the middle of the road. Sometimes they roll out in front of oncoming cars, and it has led to lots of serious accidents. “There's no way you can avoid them if they suddenly roll out in front of you, and if they hit you your car's bound to spin out of control and possibly turn over.” Sultan Al-Nufai'i said that he almost hit a shredded tire lying in the middle of the road. “I was driving along one day when I suddenly saw something black lying in the way and I had to swerve to avoid it and almost lost control of the car,” he said. “When I went back to see what it was, it turned out to be a large chunk of a truck tire.” Abdullah Al-Shahrani, chief of Taif Traffic Police, said there were no records of accidents being caused by tire parts lying in the road. “Accident scenes are always completely removed and roads are not reopened until all wreckage, including tires, has been completely cleared,” he said. “Maintenance teams from the Transport Department are responsible for clearing tires on the road and surface clearing and cleaning is carried out by Highway Security, the Traffic Department and the maintenance teams. Any failure to do so properly is reported to the Transport Department immediately.” An official at the Transport Department said that maintenance teams “work right around-the-clock” to keep the Taif to Riyadh Highway clear of debris and clean for safe use.
