Saudi Arabia's Number One Enemy: Traffic Accidents

Traffic Accidents are the main cause for the death and injury of many people and account for huge property damages in the world in general and developing countries in particular. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is no exception to this world-wide problem. Traffic accidents are in fact, the first major death rate in the country where 6,485 citizens have died and more than 36,000 were hurt in over 485,000 traffic accidents during 2008 and 2009 (Benjamin, 2010).

The purpose of this report is to illustrate why traffic accidents have become a major issue, to discuss the major reasons behind traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia, and explain how to decrease them.

Finally my report will recommend some solutions to this major problem. 2. WHY TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS Has become a major issue in SAudi Arabia? Traffic accidents have become a major issue in Saudi Arabia in the past few years because of two things. The first one is being on the top of the pyramid in the number of fatality and the second is the losses in lives and money.

. 1. Highest Death Rate One of the reasons of making Traffic accidents a major issue The World Health Organization found that Saudi Arabia has the world’s highest number of deaths from road accidents (Benjamin, 2010).

3. 2. Losses Caused by Traffic Accidents Saudi Arabia is losing 17 people a day as a outcome of traffic accidents, and the majority of those who die are aged between 18 and 30 years (Al-Jassem, 2010). Over the past two decades Saudi Arabia has recorded 4 million traffic accidents, leading to 86,000 deaths and 611,000 injuries, 7 percent of which esulted in permanent disabilities (Benjamin, 2010), not to mention the dollar amount of losses which are estimated to $5 billion US dollars.

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3. MAJOR REASONS BEHIND TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN SAUDI ARABIA There are many reasons that could cause traffic accidents, but there some reasons that are common and many people have been lost by these causes. The common reasons in Saudi Arabia for the many accidents are three different causes, namely, high speed (speeding), skipping traffic lights, and distractions. 4. 3. Speed The most common unsafe driving behavior is speeding.

Speeding is recognized as one of the most common and frequent cause of car accidents (Halbert, 1998). Yet the law restricts us to drive fast, but many people ignore the speed limit and drive over the limit. Traveling above the speed limit is an easy way to cause a car accident. The faster you drive, the slower your reaction time will be if you need to prevent an auto accident. 4. 4. Skipping Traffic Lights The traffic lights or road signals are very important factors in making the driving process safer and productive if it is used in the correct manner.

A third of traffic accidents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital city, were due to drivers jumping red lights (Benjamin, 2010). When you’re driving your car, red means to stop and not doing so usually leads to car accidents. Drivers that run red lights run the risk of causing unnecessary death because they often cause side-impact collisions at high speeds. To avoid a car accident, look both ways for oncoming cars as you approach a green light. 4. 5. Distractions Driver distraction is a major cause of car accidents these days (Halbert, 1998). The number one cause of accidents is not a person that is speeding or unning a red light but from distractions on the driver, which people consider it as the number one cause of accidents. A distracted driver is a motorist that diverts his or her attention from the road, usually to talk on a cell phone, send a text message, or eat food. 4. How to Decrease Traffic Accidents in Saudi Arabia There are many ways to decrease traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia. The more effective ways are to enforce the traffic laws and educate and spread awareness to people about this important issue in the Saudi society. 5. 6. Enforcing the Traffic Law

Enforcing the traffic laws strictly without any hesitation by using the technology available to preserve the lives of people and decrease traffic accidents. This can be done by using cameras to monitor the roads and the radar to prevent speeding. 5. 7. Education and Awareness Educating the public about the importance of traffic accidents laws and what are the risks that may take place if some people violate these laws. This can be done by publishing posters and doing lectures in schools and universities about traffic accidents to educate young people. . RECOMMENDATIONS Traffic accidents cannot be eliminated totally; however, their number and severity on our Societies should be reduced by educating people and enforcing the traffic law. The following recommendations could be considered as remedies to reduce the effect of traffic accidents: * Strong enforcement of speeding laws – It should be enhanced, particularly on major streets where unreasonable speeding is likely to take place by some drivers. Also, many types of traffic laws need better enforcement.

For example, illegal turning at signalized intersections and illegal street crossing at red signals by pedestrians need more enforcement. * Concentrated programs of awareness of traffic regulations and safety – It should be prepared and all media sources should be used to increase the traffic awareness among people and drivers. * Accurate data recording – It should be improved through regular training programs by the traffic departments for the concerned officers. 6. CONCLUSION In conclusion, traffic accidents are one of the main causes for the death and injury of many people and account for huge property damages in Saudi Arabia.

Traffic accidents are in fact, the first major death rate in the country, and we now all know that everyone among us has lost or suffered from traffic accidents and the major reasons behind this aggressive wild enemy which are speeding, skipping traffic lights, and distractions. Therefore, let’s work together and fight our number one enemy, traffic accidents, in order to live safely and create a better life and environment for our future generations.

Work cited 1. Halbert, David. “Top 5 Causes of Car Accidents” Ezine Articles. 998:1-2. 26 May 2010.

2. Al-Jassem, Diana. “Traffic accident rate drops, officials dispute claim on fatalities” Arab News. 5 May 2010: 1-2. 27 May 2010. <http://arabnews. com/saudiarabia/article50527. ece

3. Joffe-Walt -, Benjamin. ” Saudi Arabia Has the Highest Road Accident Death Toll in the World” Green Prophet. 15 May 2010:1-2. 26 May 2010. <http://www. greenprophet. com/2010/03/15/18670/saudi-arabia-death-toll- driving/>