Saher system expanded to cover more expressways

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DHULUM - Further implementation of the Saher system, which uses cameras and computers to monitor traffic, increase public safety and issue citations, recently began on expressways in the central and western regions, Brig. Gen. Khaled Bin Nashatt Al-Qahtani, Commander of the Special Forces for Road Security, said here Monday.

The highways covered include parts of Riyadh-Al-Hijaz, Riyadh-Qassim, Makkah-Jeddah-Madina and some coastal roads, he added.

The latest implementations, which were executed near the regions where the system had been installed, will soon include all the roads, Gen. Al-Qahtani said.

Statistics show that speeding is a major cause of accidents, he said adding that "if motorists abide by the speed limit specified by the traffic regulations, it is possible to prevent the other causes, whether they are related to the vehicle, the road or other things."

Saher is a high-tech system for controlling and managing traffic flow and detecting violations through a network of digital cameras linked to the National Information Center of the Ministry of Interior.

The system was developed to increase traffic safety by using the latest technology to create a secure traffic environment, upgrade the road network's efficiency, support public security and precisely, continuously enforce traffic regulations.

Earlier this month, Saher automated traffic cameras were installed in the Eastern Province.

The routes where the system is installed include Dhahran Boulevard, the Corniche Road, King Abdul Aziz Street, Makkah Street and Al-Khobar Street.

The expressways that will be governed by speed cameras are the Dammam-Al-Khobar Highway, where speed limits are 100-110km/h, the Jubail Highway (100km/h), and the Aziziyah Highway (100km/h).

But several people are skeptical over the efficacy of introducing the traffic monitoring cameras.

They wondered whether the new system will end the common violations noticed on the roads in the Kingdom, such as speeding, running red lights, driving on sidewalks and sounding horns excessively. The feverish driving with scant regard for safety regulations is particularly noticed shortly before the time of breaking fast in the month of Ramadan.

Many Saudis Saudi Gazette spoke to urged the traffic police to deploy more policemen at intersections and crowded roads specially during peak hours.

Director of Accidents in Yanbu Capt. Homaid Al-Sahfi, said people cause accidents because of their ignorance of traffic regulations.

By Abdullah Al-Maqatti

© The Saudi Gazette 2010