Mobile speed radars have Saudis seeing red

Image taken from a video published by thamer504 on YouTube on May 16.

Saudi motorists love big cars and driving at high speeds. So it comes as no surprise that the use of a tough new network of speed radars in Saudi Arabia has annoyed several drivers, especially since the new devices are costing them a small fortune in fines.

In 2007, the World Health Organisation reported more than 6,000 automobile related deaths in Saudi Arabia, earning the country a reputation for having some of the world’s deadliest roads. Last year, in an effort to create safer driving conditions,  the Saudi government launched a new automated traffic control and management system called “Saher” (in Arabic, “he who watches”), which uses mobile speed radars to catch and fine Saudi speed demons.

For the past several months however, road rage seems to have reached new heights as irate drivers are stepping out from behind the wheel to vandalise these new machines.

“Undercover vehicles using the Saher system have been vandalised”.

Mohammed Alsaeedi lives in Saudi Arabia’s eastern city Qatif.

I have a car but I’ve always been scared to get behind the wheel here in Saudi Arabia because traffic accidents are so common. People drive very fast because they’re always in a rush to get somewhere and they don’t pay attention to other motorists on the road.

Since the Saher system was put in place a little more than a year ago, all of the kingdom’s main roads are monitored by the Interior Ministry thanks to a network of cameras as well as fixed and mobile speed radars. The Saher system tracks people who break the speed limit, which is 80 km/h in urban centres and 120 km to 140 km/h on highways. It also targets people who run red lights.

The moment an infraction is recorded, a text message is sent to the car’s driver notifying them that they have received a fine, but only if they have registered with the Interior Ministry. They can then follow up on the text message to get details concerning the fine, such as where the infraction took place. Motorists can also receive alerts concerning moving violations on the ministry’s website.

One then has 30 days to pay the fine, otherwise the fine can double or even triple. A ticket for 300 Saudi riyal [$80 or 56 euros] can quickly become a fine of 900 riyal [$240 or 168 euros] in just a few weeks.

Today a lot of drivers are sick of the Saher system, which, according to them, is nothing more than a way to make money off the back of motorists. The Interior Ministry has also handed off the system’s management to four private companies. A lot of people are critical of this partnership, because they think these companies are profiting agreement with the Interior Ministry.

“There are hundreds of people who can’t afford to pay anymore”.

The mobile speed radars are installed in unmarked cars that are often parked on the side of the road. One of the Saher system’s mobile speed radars alone can cite hundreds of moving violations per day. This means that a single motorist can accumulate several fines, costing them thousands of riyals. In Saudi Arabia professional drivers earn about 2,000 to 2,500 riyals [$533 – $670 or 372 – 466 euros]. If you’re a foreigner though, you earn much less – the average salary tends to be between 1,000 and 1,800 riyals [$266 – $480 or 186 – 335 euros].

Before the Saher system was put into place, it was possible to have your fine reduced in certain situations. Today, it’s impossible. The result is that there are now hundreds of people who can’t afford to pay the total amount of their fines, which only continue to increase.

Some motorists have decided to slow down before they reach mobile or fixed radars that are often found in the same types of places – where traffic is the densest. But there are others revolting around the country. Undercover cars owned by the companies which manage the Saher system have been pelted with stones and shoes. Other vehicles have been tagged with graffiti.

Despite the Saher system and public awareness campaigns, the way people think hasn’t really changed that much. People still drive just as dangerously as before”.

Mission to vandalise a mobile speed radar. Video published on YouTube by thamer504 on May 15.

A Saudi motorist graffiti’s the rear window of a vehicle equipped with a mobile speed radar. Video published on YouTube by m3aaaand on May 22.

Three vehicles equipped with the Saher system parked on the side of the road. Video published on YouTube by mll7000 on September 1, 2010.

Post written with FRANCE 24 journalist Cécile Loïal.