Traffic accidents Kingdom-wide have caused 508 deaths and 2,890 injuries in a single month, local media said quoting data released by municipality and traffic agencies.

There were 39,246 accidents registered in February. Riyadh accounted for almost a quarter of these incidents, said the report, which was jointly drafted by the Higher Commission for the Development of Riyadh (HCDR) and the Traffic Department.

The Eastern Province registered the second highest accident rate with 8,333 cases, followed by Makkah with 7,564 cases, Asir with 2,500, Hail with 788, Baha with 436, and Najran with 278, the report said.

Meanwhile, a study said the administrative cost of road accidents in Riyadh stands at SR62 million annually. Traffic corps consume nearly 20 work hours in accidents involving deaths, the study said.

“It is imperative to spend 10 percent of traffic costs borne by the government and community for the implementation of the safety projects and the remaining sum on the application of traffic regulations and traffic safety engineering,” the study said.

The study recommended that SR1.3 billion be spent annually on traffic safety projects in a bid to minimize road-related deaths and injuries based on the assumption that accidents cost a minimum of SR13 billion yearly.
Some 141 cameras have been installed in major squares, roads and intersections to monitor traffic in Riyadh from the traffic monitoring center in Nasiriyyah under the direct supervision of Brig. Gen. Ali Al-Dibaikhi, head of the Riyadh traffic police.

“Cameras have enormously contributed to helping track traffic bottlenecks spontaneously and ensuring traffic corps deal with accidents effectively,” said Ahmed Al-Jaloud of the Riyadh Traffic Department.