Al-Madinah newspaper
Some may think that Saher, the automated traffic control system, is unjust. Some may even think that the system is technically faulty and leads to the issuing of unfair penalties. Many reviews evaluating the effectiveness of Saher have been sent to the authorities. However, in spite of all this negativity, there is clear evidence confirming Saher’s contribution in establishing new practical rules for respecting traffic regulations, particularly with regards to exceeding the maximum speed and running red lights.
Saher has helped to reduce the number of accidents, deaths and injuries on Saudi roads. This has been confirmed through several scientific studies, one of which was published on the Al-Arabiya website last month. This report showed the results of a study done by researchers from King Abdullah International Research Center. The author of the study, Dr Sulaiman Al-Ghannam, explained that the motive for such studies is to evaluate traffic laws and their effectiveness. Al-Ghannam’s study showed that the number of deaths due to traffic accidents had been reduced by 37.8 percent in the Kingdom and that injuries on Saudi roads had been reduced by 20 percent.
The recent updated version of Saher automatically monitors whether drivers and passengers are wearing seat belts along with whether they are using their mobile phones when driving. The General Traffic Department has also confirmed that phone calls made using Bluetooth headsets will not be penalized. The Traffic Department has initially implemented this new system in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Monitoring the use of mobile phones while driving will oblige many drivers to focus their attention on driving rather than on their mobiles. We often see drivers driving erratically because they are fidgeting with their mobile phones.
Saher is an excellent system that is found in different countries across the world. Our society needs to be constantly reminded of the benefits of a system that protects people and reduces the number of traffic accidents.
