Mahmoud Ahmad

 

Recently, the respected Sheikh Abdullah Ibn Manee, a member of the Supreme Council of Saudi Scholars, made a comment on Saher that was totally banal. Saher, for the uninitiated, was introduced by the Ministry of Interior, and is an "automated system" for the management of traffic via e-systems covering major cities in Saudi Arabia. It uses digital cameras network technology to check traffic violations.



Sheikh Ibn Manee, in his comment, demanded that Saher should be installed in fixed places only, with the presence of Saher cameras clearly indicated, and not have a rolling monitoring system — with the Saher cameras constantly being shifted to new locations — as is the current practice.



He said that the practice of Saher being hidden in unexpected places to detect violators is unacceptable and wrong. He also questioned whether Saher was created and implemented to enforce discipline and awareness or to simply make profit. He ruled out the excuse by the enforcers of Saher that the system expects the cameras to be rotated in key locales and be kept hidden in order to check speedsters and curb violations. Saying it was a cop out, he demanded that signs to be installed to alert drivers of the presence of Saher everywhere.



I was hoping that our respected Sheikh Ibn Manee would focus his energy and talk on the harms of speeding and against speedsters and traffic violators instead of talking against a system that has been installed to protect people from road terrors, who believe that breaking traffic rules is the norm and their given right. Not only are they a danger to themselves, but a danger and a nuisance to others on the road.



I would like to digress here a bit by repeating the well-known fact that we are termed as the worst drivers on planet earth. Why? All we need to do is to compare our death rate — resulting from road accidents to the population — to other countries and we find ourselves on the top. This, in addition to the basic lack of road etiquette, gives us the unwanted honor of being the worst. Need I say any more!



A Bahraini friend of mine, put it very precisely, when he said if one ever wants to spot a Saudi, all he needs to do is see the speeding vehicle on the road or just search for traffic violators. Now that I reflect on this statement, I tend to agree with him. It is that bad. We have such a reputation on the road at international level too.



To Sheikh Ibn Manee and people with similar views, we say that Saher has really helped in reducing accidents and deaths on the road. In addition that it has struck fear in the hearts of violators so they are more careful is enough to prove that the system is working. The lives of people on the road is much more valuable. And criticizing or fighting a system that was installed to protect us in the first place is ludicrous.



Other countries too are installing cameras in every corner and in unknown places to check violators. They even have aerial traffic control, assigning helicopters to monitor them from the skies. People in these countries, do not criticize the system and the way it is run and managed and simply abide by it because people know it is designed for their safety. Therefore they follow the law and respect the rules of the road, something that drivers on the road here, whether they be Saudis or non-Saudis, do not learn to understand, and will not do so even in the future unless such curbs are placed.



Only violators and road terrors are the ones complaining against Saher. And it does not help when media takes up their cause. I find it really inane that some local newspapers publish stories of appeals from such road pests who have run up some SR20,000 or SR30,000 in Saher violations. They complain that the huge amount of violations has made their lives difficult and they are impeded in completing government paperwork till the traffic violations are paid. Such people should be investigated for the repeat violations and even jailed if they default in paying the huge amount. They should be banned from driving forever because they are dangerous to themselves and other people on the road.



As for the argument Sheikh Ibn Manee is making that Saher is hidden in unknown places, and this should be discontinued with the new practice being a placement of a sign informing people that there is Saher ahead, I will only say that our drivers, Saudis and non-Saudis, are used to violating the law when there is no police presence. We see people driving in the opposite direction, running red lights and parking the wrong way and incorrectly only to get angry when questioned or even requested to create space for others and then there is road rage as they merrily skip lanes.



Saher was installed to tackle the two dangerous problems that have been the cause of killing more people — running the red light and speeding. If we inform such drivers that there is Saher ahead then they would respect the law for the fear of getting a ticket only. Once they pass Saher then it is back to the same madness on the road.



Saher cameras in secret locations and in unexpected places will keep road terrors on alert because of the constant fear of getting caught. This in turn may make them better drivers — at least most of them who will see the logic of following the rules for everyone’s betterment. Road terrors should expect a Saher camera and a secret police anywhere they are driving, for the sake of innocent drivers like you and me. Every time they sit behind the wheel, they should have this fear in their hearts that they are being watched and any violations would be checked.



Finally, I do not think the Interior Ministry would approve a system that will harm people. In fact it was implemented after a careful study and consideration and once it was evident that it would save lives. The implementation came only after a trial period in most cities. And I say it is those who are against this system who should be ashamed of themselves.





— Mahmour Ahmad can be reached at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa can be reached at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa