Job Discussion Forums

[Imdramayu]

I do recall that driving in Riyadh was the most difficult of any country I've lived in. What is traffic police enforcement like of bad or tafhit-oriented drivers? In Doha, the police are cracking down on bad or dangerous drivers. QR8000 fine for jumping red lights and QR500-6000 for speeding. A whole bunch of speed cameras & red light cameras have been recently installed all over the city (not to mention the increased number of mobile cameras). It has worked. The accident rate has decreased. Also, the new traffic penalty system is (reputed to be) watertight. People with wasta aren't supposed to be able to call their friend at the traffic office to intercept and erase their offence. What's it like in KSA?

Is it true that the import and sale of quads are banned in KSA? I read this to be the case somewhere. Quads are a nuisance in Qatar so it would be great to be free of them in KSA.

[cmp45]

[trapezius]

Yes, they are not allowed to be used on normal roads inside the city... but who cares about laws governing public safety and security in this country, least of all the authorities.

Of course we all know that a woman's hair showing in public or an unrelated man and woman in Starbucks discussing business is a lot more harmful to the public, so such egregious offences are taken care of promptly by the authorities.

[Imdramayu]

What about citizen's arrest or reporting these kids to the authorities? For example, calling the police to report the disturbance? Has anyone done that and it worked?

[Stephen Jones]

Things are tougher than they used to be. In Jubail it was quite common fpr students to miss class because they were in jail after being pulled up for a traffic offense.

[007]

[Imdramayu]

How about installing speeding & red light jumping cameras in the big cities? Are there any in Riyadh, Jeddah, or Dammam? This would depersonalize the catching of these offending drivers. No actual police officers would directloy be involved. The info from the cameras would be fed directly into the traffic department's computer and tickets would be issued accordingly. Wasta-rich citizens wouldn't be able to blame a specific police officer. This should be a watertight penalty system.

You are scaring me with all these foolish driver stories. I think I've been spoiled in the small Gulf country where I live. The traffic office has installed the above system and it is working wonders. However, in a huge country like yours with larger cities and sprawling roads, is it still doable?

[johnslat]

Dear baedaebok,
It's true that drivers (and not just Saudis) in Saudi Arabia are generally pretty bad. However, I drove over there for many years and the only accident I had happened when I wasn't even moving (I guess you could call it an unmoving violation.)
It took place in a parking garage. I was in line, waiting to exit when the Saudi in the Toyota pick-up in front of me backed up (for some reason) right into the front of my car. Not too much damage - I had to replace one headlight. But no police were called - the driver just handed over about 300 SR right away. Actually, as I recall, I made about 100 SR on the deal.
So while the drivers are generally bad, if you drive defensively, the odds are high that you'll be OK.
Regards,
John

[sheikh radlinrol]

[johnslat]

Dear sheikh,

"Surely we should drive carefully all the time?"

The operative word is "should."

"Defensive driving is a form of training for motor vehicle drivers that goes beyond mastery of the rules of the road and the basic mechanics of driving. Its aim is to reduce the risk of driving by anticipating dangerous situations, despite adverse conditions or the mistakes of others. This can be achieved through adherence to a variety of general rules, as well as the practice of specific driving techniques."

Especially relevant are anticipation and alertness, not being distracted from keeping your full attention on the road and the other drivers.
It's hard to do that consistently and constantly when you're behind the wheel. On even a fifteen minute drive to work, I'm guilty of probably getting distracted three or four times.

Regards,
John

[007]

[sheikh radlinrol]

Thanks for the info. Johnslat and 007. BTW, Uncle Bond I DO have a British Driving Licence. Maybe ''hazard perception'' didn't exist when I took the test at the age of 17 (36 years ago)

[007]

[lall]

There's a cool tip to be learnt from Transportation Engineering.
It's called the "two-second" rule. No explanation needed, I guess.

[Arab Strap]

007