Hi-tech traffic cameras slash Saudi traffic deaths

AFP/File – A general view of King Fahd street in downtown Riyadh with normal traffic. A new system of automatic … – Mon Sep 27, 2:45 pm ETRIYADH (AFP) – A new system of automatic speed-detection cameras in Riyadh has considerably slashed traffic deaths in the four months it has been in place, the city police traffic chief said Monday.

The "Saher," or "Watchful," programme has brought traffic accident deaths down to 79 from 118 for the same period last year, police general Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah said.

It has also helped cut accidents by 21 percent, to 40,900 from 51,959, he said, according to a report on the official SPA news agency.

The system of hundreds of cameras monitoring speeders on busy thoroughfares and catching drivers ignoring red lights at busy intersections has taken ticketing out of the hands of police on the streets.

Before,police had been loathe to stop drivers violating rules, out of fear that they might turn out to be of high ranked or Royal status.

Been done already. Don't know that it has really had any impact, people still run the red lights,

Thailand already has speed cameras.

Perhaps it's been done but, I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket in the mail, and certainly no one that I've heard of has paid one.

Maybe I'm mistaken ?

The system of hundreds of cameras monitoring speeders on busy thoroughfares and catching drivers ignoring red lights at busy intersections has taken ticketing out of the hands of police on the streets

another reason why it wouldnt happen here as well ,

Perhaps it's been done but, I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket in the mail, and certainly no one that I've heard of has paid one.

Maybe I'm mistaken ?

We had one mailed to our office. Showed a photo of one of our company truck's license plate and a note saying it was photo'd doing 150 on the motorway in Bangkok. Pay (I can't remember how much, it was a year and a half ago) by mail. I refused to pay, sent a letter stating that many people drive the truck, and as there was no photo of the driver, we would not admit to any wrong doing and not pay the ticket. We never heard back about it.

The technology to do this is already in place. There was a trial of this automated ticketing system a year or two ago. Thousands of tickets were sent out and no-one paid them. The last I heard, the police were doing "further investigation" before trying to permanently implement this system.

I think that the nickname "Land of Smiles" changed to "the Land of No Consequences".

Edited October 4, 201015 yr by otherstuff1957