Taking the easy way out

Getting on to the road in Saudi Arabia is literally like taking your life in your hands and propelling it towards an abyss. You never can tell when your vehicle will be blindsided or rear-ended by a road warrior pushing his gas pedal to the floor and intent on travelling fast, extremely fast, with no particular destination in mind.

Bad driving habits have become ingrained in a section of motorists to such an extent that even traffic enforcement officials have been accused of looking the other way. Add to it the grudging acceptance of most motorists that this is part of life, and there is no hope of bringing about a change in the situation.

Most people will however admit that the enforcement of traffic laws is not uniform and consistent. It does not strike dread in the hearts of violators, who feel they could get away with all their excesses behind the wheel. That is why the introduction of Saher, the kingdom’s traffic monitoring system, was important. It is an automated traffic management system covering major cities in Saudi Arabia that is operated via electronic networks. The Saher system uses a network of advanced digital cameras connected to the National Information Centre (NIC).

While the system offers a host of services, the one aspect of its functioning that concerns most motorists is the monitoring of violations by Saher cameras located alongside roads and highways. Once a violation is caught on camera, the recorded snapshot is sent to the violation processing centre indicating the make of the vehicle and the licence plate number. Almost immediately, the offender would receive an SMS on his mobile phone indicating the fine he will have to pay.

Under normal circumstances, there is very little room for error. But lawbreakers often take the extra step to avoid detection. One way is to obscure vehicle licence plates with a light coat of paint or alter the numbers with marking pens. Another is to replace the original licence plate with a stolen one. On highways, lawbreakers often avoid detection by dangerously speeding on road shoulders which are beyond the camera’s focal vision.

Recently, some photos of the vehicles of errant drivers showed up on social media, triggering a mini storm among those affronted by the disclosures. So much so that the company operating the Saher system was threatened with closure after they “allegedly posted videos of traffic violators on YouTube” and other social media. Forced to act, the company was considering serious disciplinary measures including temporary suspension without pay for the employees who had breached the privacy of the lawbreakers.

A source at Saher said: “The company was bombarded with complaints from the drivers in the videos and their family members. They viewed it as an invasion of privacy and this could have legal repercussions. The company carried out an investigation that lasted three months since late December to find out which of its employees posted the company’s videos online.”

A lawyer rising to the defence of the errant motorists claimed that laws were broken when their reprehensible and often dangerous activities behind the wheel were publicised on social media. “Posting of the videos online breached the protocol of information crimes,” he argued, adding that “what happened in this case is the company breached violators’ right to privacy of information and tarnished their reputation in society. They also announced their names without any legal order to do so.”

He emphasised that the law “has the right to cancel the commercial licence of the company or prevent it from taking on a certain project. Videos of traffic violators or even car accidents are private information entrusted to the company, which has been granted the right to document such incidents to ensure safety of people, not to tarnish the reputation of violators.” He concluded that those employees who exposed the antics of the lawbreakers could be subjected to severe fines or imprisonment.

Misplaced argument

This leads to the question of the rights of those law-abiding motorists whose lives are often put in danger by these road warriors. Did this lawyer ever wonder how many traffic-related casualties have been associated with speeding and dangerous driving across the kingdom? Did he ever stop to think where the victim’s right to safe passage on the roads vanished when confronted by these monsters behind the wheel? It makes me angry when people rush to defend lawbreakers and tout their rights, forgetting the rights of those victimised by their actions. Why do we offer the easy way out for these people? I dread to count how many burials and funeral wakes I have attended because of such senseless acts. Who speaks of their rights?

No indeed, lawbreakers are criminals and should not be spared, especially when their acts endanger others. Those rushing to protect their civil liberties should reflect a moment or two on the abruptly snatched liberties of those who are with us no more.

Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.