Manama: Two reckless lorry drivers will be deported from Saudi Arabia over their dangerous driving, Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Asir Region, has ordered.
A short video clip showed how a long vehicle was overtaking a pickup and a car on a narrow mountainous road with clear no overtaking marks. At the same time, another long vehicle surged from behind and forced its way as it attempted to overtake all in a highly dangerous move.
The 10-second video went viral on social media, sparking outrage, mainly amid people from the southern part of the kingdom who said that the road had witnessed numerous accidents due to careless driving.
Saad Thabet, the officer in charge of Prince Faisal’s media office, said that the decision to deport the two drivers following the application of the traffic regulations, was based on their reckless driving, their non-compliance with the regulations and putting people’s lives at risk, Saudi news site Al Marsad reported on Thursday.
Prince Faisal expressed his gratitude to the civil and security officials in Muhayel, the area where the reckless driving occurred, for their prompt action that resulted in the arrest of the two drivers and the confiscation of the two long vehicles pending investigations.
Regular campaigns by the Saudi authorities to bring order to chaotic driving and boost a more positive traffic culture have often been resisted by unruly and speeding drivers. However, a rigorous monitoring system with traffic cameras on highways to check speed and at the traffic lights in major cities to record red light jumping has succeeded in bringing down the number of accidents.
