TABUK: The new "Saher" traffic monitoring system will be introduced in the northern Tabuk province next month, according to the local Traffic Department's director on Wednesday.
"We have already identified the places to set up monitoring cameras in association with the governorate, the municipality and police," said Col. Muhammad Ali Al-Najjar.
Al-Najjar said the new system would improve the Kingdom's traffic situation by reducing the number of accidents. "It will also ensure the safety of road users," he added.
Al-Najjar said the electronic system would monitor traffic violations and facilitate quick resolutions of traffic cases. "There will be fixed and mobile cameras to monitor violations," he pointed out.
He said the cameras would take pictures of the number plates of violating cars, adding that a camera can take pictures of eight vehicles at a time.
"We'll start implementing the system in Tabuk on Aug. 1 after installing cameras in four places. By the end of this year cameras will be installed in 11 places," he added. He estimated the total economic cost of car accidents in the Kingdom at SR13 billion. "Thirteen people die per every 1,000 accidents in the Kingdom," he added.
The traffic department has already introduced Saher in Riyadh. It will be introduced in Jeddah on Aug. 1. An awareness campaign has been conducted in Jeddah ahead of the system's introduction.
Brig. Gen. Muhammad Al-Qahtani, director of the traffic Police Department in Jeddah, said the campaign, which was launched a few days before school exams end, is part of a long-term strategy to cut down on deaths on the city's roads.
© Arab News 2010
