DAMMAM, 29 October 2006 — Saudis caught speeding and breaking traffic laws in the Kingdom simply call in their “wasta” (influential contacts) in order to get their fines canceled. Some Saudis simply tear up traffic tickets in the face of the issuing officer, daring him to take action if he can. Others tell officers not to bother wasting their time as they have senior “connections.”

“I once got a fine for not wearing a seat belt. I went to pay the fine at the Traffic Department and met a friend who promised to have the ticket dropped the next day and he did,” Mubarak Khalil, a Dammam resident, told Al-Yaum newspaper.

Khalil said that a few weeks later he received another ticket for not wearing a seat belt and again his friend had the fine canceled before it had been registered. “This type of behavior has not helped me at all; in fact, it encourages me to be even more reckless in the way I drive. Receiving a traffic fine has became second nature,” he said.

“I only realized my mistake after I saw a terrible car accident in which a number of young teenagers died. The car they were traveling in ran a red light. It was only then that I came to realize that my friend at the Traffic Department would be unable to help me get my life back if I were to be injured or killed in a traffic accident,” he added.

Having a system of traffic rules which are enforced across the board is of vital importance; without it, one can only expect chaos and a rise in the number of accidents. Nevertheless, there are many people who manage to find their way around the system. A financial penalty may be the only weapon that can stop reckless drivers. In neighboring countries, the same speed laws apply and traffic authorities have been able to bring down the number of reckless drivers.

Businessman Khaled Al-Manie sees the solution to the problem in a stricter system. “I regularly travel to European countries and rarely do I see people breaking traffic rules. If a traffic fine is given, then it is impossible for people to have it waived through personal connections,” he said.

“The Traffic Department should be strict and tough with violators,” Al-Manie said. “Dropping a fine is an injustice to the traffic system. I think we must learn from the European system and find a good solution to this problem.”

At a police station in Dammam was Mahdi Al-Qahtani who had been caught speeding. “I have been issued a number of traffic fines, totaling some SR10,000. There is no system here that demands drivers pay their tickets quickly and fast,” he said, alluding to the Traffic Department’s system, which sometimes gives people years to pay their fines.

“Even traffic violators forget about the fine, about when they got them and why. Drivers don’t respect the traffic police and end up not paying fines. If the Traffic Department implemented a system in which violators had to pay their fines within a short period, then people would have respect for traffic rules. Many teenagers and Saudis do not have any awareness of the rules or any respect for the road,” he pointed out. He added that families, schools and mosques had an important role to play in increasing awareness among drivers. The Traffic Department must also play a role in creating awareness since many Saudis see a traffic fine as an injustice done to them.

Abu Muhammad, an official with the traffic police, said that many people accuse traffic officials of writing random tickets for no reason. He said that this was not true. “We as traffic officials apply the system to protect drivers. The main reason for a traffic ticket is to discipline the driver and force him not to commit the same offense again. I have seen many drivers who told me not to bother writing the ticket because they knew someone who could get it canceled. Some do not respect us and tear the ticket up in front of us. None of these actions will stop us from doing our job and trying to make the streets safer,” he added.