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Saudi Arabia, in common with many countries throughout
the Middle East, has a serious road accident problem. Compared with other
countries in the region, road accident fatality rates and risk levels are
high year on year; in turn road deaths continue to increase.
Road accidents in the city of Arriyadh reflect the
national picture and are a major and growing problem. Indeed about 30 per cent of accidents
occurring in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia happen within the city limits and,
despite its urban environment, it still has about a quarter of all road
accident casualties and more than 21 per cent of the country’s
fatalities. It is worth noting
in particular that pedestrians constitute 30% of road accident fatalities in
the city; about 30% (24,900) of drivers involved in accidents are under 18
years of age; and speeding is the most frequent driving law violation.
The High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh (ADA)
had recently completed a strategic traffic safety study for the City of
Arriyadh. This detailed study included three phases, the first phase was to
“Establishing the facts” The objectives of this Phase were to assess the
traffic safety situation in the City, to review the stakeholders' roles and
the management and co-ordination of traffic safety, and to assess the
performance of the main sectors involved so that the key issues could be
identified.
The second phase was concerned with “Examining the
options”. This phase extended the fact-finding of the initial phase to
further areas including the operation of heavy goods vehicles, transportation
of hazardous loads, and a review of the existing accident information system.
It also examined the possible options in each sector classified on three
levels of (i) do nothing, (ii) gradual change and (iii) radical change.
This final stage, Phase III, focused on formulating an
overall strategy for road safety improvement based on the outcome of the
above work; that is, the recommended actions that were accepted in principle
by the various sectors.
Arriyadh region like other regions in the kingdom suffers
from having a high level of traffic accidents; during the last decades
Arriyadh witnessed a high percentage of traffic accidents which resulted in
an increased number of fatalities and injuries and became one of the issues
and challenges that face Arriyadh city.
The traffic safety strategy approved by the high
committee ( ADA) (headed by Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz) in 2004. and this
committee agreed on constituting a high committee for traffic safety, headed
by Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz vice president of ADA, and membership of the
fallowing stockholders: Arriyadh Municipality, Saudi Red Crescent Society,
Member of ADA – President of Planning and Project , Deputy Ministry of
Transportation, Deputy Ministry of Education, Deputy Ministry of Health,
Deputy Ministry of Information, Deputy Ministry of Islamic Affairs,
Endowments, Da’wah and Guidance, Head of Arriyadh region police, Head of
Arriyadh traffic.
The objective behind constituting the high committee for
traffic safety is to monitor and follow the implementation plan of the
strategic as well as ensuring full coordination between the relevant
stockholders, and achieve the strategic goals. The other objective of this
committee is to supervise the five-year executive plans, which include the
tasks and responsibilities of all the stakeholders.
The executive plan includes strategic objectives to
reduce the number of fatalities and injuries resulted from traffic accident
during the coming ten years. The main tasks of the relevant agencies include
a definite executive plan for carrying these tasks, by focusing on the work
and necessary improvements to reach the definite goals.
The most important components of the strategy:
Traffic safety is a multi-dimension issue which depends
greatly on the level of performance of the relevant agencies in Arriyadh
city, therefore the main components of the strategic plan has been identified
as follows:
First: Traffic Safety Management and the process of
creating a strong coordination between the relevant agencies in order to
monitor and assess the work progress in executing the strategic plan for
traffic safety.
Second: Traffic Engineering: uses engineering techniques
to achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. It focuses
mainly on research and construction to resolve black spot in Arriyadh road
network
Third: Education: which focus on creating an effective
tool to help change the attitude and behavior of drivers as well improving
traffic safety methods in schools, and traffic safety messages to public.
Fourth: Implementing traffic law which includes
establishing a special unit for controlling and enforcing the speed
violations, improving the current used equipments technologies, increasing
the level of training for policemen and introduce the required improvements.
Fifth: Strict law enforcement on all type of violations,
and special focus on speed and
law enforcement : the main cause of accident in the city is speeding;
there for the strategy stressed the important of enforcement a strict
penalty for speeders,
Six: Emergency and medical care, which includes improving
the services, provided to victims of traffic safety.
Seven: Research, evaluation, and its importance in
assessing the impact of improvements made by the relevant agencies in terms
of improving traffic safety in Arriyadh city.
Results of implementing the strategy of Arriyadh traffic
safety
There has been a significant decrease in the number of
fatalities and serious injures, as a result of the implementation of the
traffic safety strategy, the
number of fatalities in 2006 reach 353 and this figure is less than the
fatalities for the year 2003, 2004, and 2005 where there was 430 and 408 fatalities.
See the figure below.
Table 1: the monthly report for
fatalities during the last five years
|
Year
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
March
|
April
|
May
|
June
|
July
|
Aug
|
Sept
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Total
|
|
2002
|
27
|
33
|
39
|
52
|
30
|
56
|
39
|
45
|
41
|
32
|
32
|
25
|
451
|
|
2003
|
48
|
37
|
33
|
32
|
36
|
28
|
47
|
54
|
51
|
24
|
49
|
40
|
479
|
|
2004
|
20
|
35
|
32
|
31
|
41
|
36
|
46
|
46
|
47
|
39
|
30
|
27
|
430
|
|
2005
|
25
|
47
|
49
|
29
|
28
|
24
|
38
|
33
|
41
|
30
|
34
|
30
|
408
|
|
2006
|
37
|
25
|
29
|
23
|
29
|
26
|
29
|
28
|
40
|
32
|
31
|
24
|
353
|
Serious
Injuries
The
percentage of serious injuries resulted from accidents has also decreased to 1481 cases in the year
2006, and this number is less than the percentage of the last two years 2004
and 2005, where there was 1546 and 1555 cases respectively.
Table
2: the monthly report for serious injuries during the last five years
|
Year
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
March
|
April
|
May
|
June
|
July
|
Aug
|
Sept
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Total
|
|
2002
|
151
|
148
|
125
|
149
|
163
|
148
|
171
|
166
|
119
|
153
|
159
|
141
|
1793
|
|
2003
|
144
|
181
|
124
|
122
|
136
|
112
|
116
|
148
|
116
|
109
|
143
|
95
|
1546
|
|
2004
|
52
|
132
|
129
|
190
|
129
|
117
|
143
|
153
|
157
|
130
|
131
|
92
|
1555
|
|
2005
|
129
|
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