An obsession that haunts governments and societies, and the cause is a depletion of material resources and human energies, targeting societies in the most important elements of life, which is the human element, in addition to the social and psychological problems incurred and huge material losses, which has become necessary to work on finding solutions and suggestions and putting them into practice to reduce these accidents or At the very least, addressing its causes and mitigating its negative effects.
Studies indicate the participation of three elements in traffic accidents, and the human element is one of the most important of these elements and shares the road and the vehicle with it.
According to reports of the World Health Organization, about 1.3 million people die every year as a result of traffic accidents, and injuries resulting from traffic accidents are the most important causes of death for young people in the age group 15-29 years.
Fatal accidents cause…
The Director General of Traffic, Brigadier Mohsen Al-Zahrani, revealed that the past months have witnessed fatal accidents that claimed the lives of entire families in several regions of the Kingdom due to the use of mobile phones.
Brigadier Al-Zahrani added that one of the horrific accidents resulted in the death of seven people, and another that led to the death of an entire family and the closure of their home, calling on everyone not to use mobile phones while driving unless necessary.
Al-Zahrani called on all road users and everyone who owns a vehicle to beware of using mobile phones.
The Director General of Traffic confirmed the decrease in deaths resulting from accidents in the Kingdom from 27 deaths per 100,000 in 2016, to 13.17 deaths per 100,000 in 2021, as a result of the efforts made by traffic safety committees in the regions of the Kingdom. He indicated that the Ministry of Interior seeks to reduce the percentage to two-thirds. That is, to eight deaths per 100,000 during 2030, calling on all relevant authorities to join hands to achieve the desired goal.
He added: To achieve the goals of the Ministry of Interior, we seek to reduce the death rates resulting from road accidents by 2030, to approximately two-thirds, indicating that road accidents are one of the most important challenges facing the world at the state level, due to the high rate of vehicle use .. and to reach a society Free from traffic accidents. It is necessary to combine all efforts with the relevant authorities and between them, and to find innovative solutions from studies and scientific research, and to see successful global experiences and the possibility of benefiting from them, to raise the level and the principle of traffic safety.
Al-Zahrani indicated that there is a strategy for the Kingdom as a whole, and through the higher committees, to reduce this number until it reaches eight deaths and less – God willing – per 100,000 according to the vision, stressing the role of social responsibility; As an important axis and an essential element of the committees.
Technology to reduce accidents
The Kingdom has adopted technology to warn of road hazards, which contribute to reducing traffic accidents in 2020, compared to 2018 and 2019.
The Ministry of Transport has covered a number of roads using automated audio warning signals to alert drivers when they deviate from the specified lane due to drowsiness, using a mobile phone while driving, or due to poor visibility as a result of severe weather conditions. These vital measures have led to a decrease in the number of deaths.
accident fatalities 40%
The Ministerial Committee for Traffic Safety in Saudi Arabia achieved an achievement that was praised by the World Health Organization, which confirmed in a recent report that the death rate due to traffic accidents decreased by 40% during the last three years.
The World Health Organization praised the efforts made to raise the level of traffic safety in the Kingdom, reviewing the positive results achieved in reducing the death rate due to traffic accidents by 40% during the past three years.
A decrease in the number of deaths
Statistics showed that the number of deaths was recorded in 2018, about 5,787 people, while the total number of injuries in that year was 30,579 injured. male.
2020 deaths amounted to about 4,618 people; Among them, 510 females and 4,108 males died, compared to 25,561 injured, including 4,069 females and 21,492 males.
The world was not immune to recording traffic accidents, as approximately 1.25 million people lost their lives as a result of traffic accidents, and between 20 million and 50 million other people were exposed to non-fatal injuries and many of them became disabled as a result around the world.
A recent study showed that traffic accidents are the largest cause of child deaths in the Kingdom by up to 40%, indicating that 50% of deaths in car accidents among young children occur as a result of ignoring the use of the seats allocated to them for those under 5 years of age.
The study, which was conducted by the Aramco Chair for Traffic Safety at Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal University, showed that child seats reduce infant mortality by 71%, and reduce injuries and the need for hospital treatment by 69%. A member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Society for Traffic Safety, Noura Al-Afaleq, revealed that the study includes dangerous statistics, and is a warning bell about the need to use a child seat in cars with certain specifications that achieve safety for children.
Al-Afaleq pointed out that the study noted that the percentage of young children using seats inside cars is very small and reflects a lack of care in this matter, as the study indicated that the percentage of seat use is only 27% for young children under 5 years, while children over five years old. Their use of seats is 12%.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Society for Traffic Safety, Dr. Abdul Hameed Al-Mojel, explained that studies confirm that the use of a child seat reduces deaths by 60%, and also showed that the use of a car seat reduces the risk of injury in a collision accident by 71-82% for children compared to using a belt only. ; While the rate of use of child seats in the Kingdom is less than 10%.
irregular stop
The security expert, retired Major General Misfer inside Al-Jaid, stressed that one of the most prominent causes of traffic accidents is excessive speed, indicating that the use of mobile phones is the second reason, in addition to violating traffic regulations such as non-compliance with traffic lights, wrong overtaking and irregular stopping.
And Al-Juaid indicated that these reasons are among the most prominent causes of traffic accidents and the resulting human and material losses, while failure to adhere to wearing a seat belt is one of the reasons that lead to disability and death.
Al-Juaid warned of neglecting vehicle safety requirements that affect the level of traffic safety in general in terms of the number of accidents and the severity of injuries, including vehicle wheels that must be alerted and inspected before driving on highways.
Ibrahim Al-Alawi (Jeddah) @i_waleeed22
