Risk Factors, Costs and Consequences

    In the vlog, “What EXPATS need to know - DRIVING in Saudi Arabia” by Pete & Thea Do Saudi, Pete shares his experiences about living in Saudi Arabia and goes over what it is like to be on the roads. He states that “traffic accident deaths per 100,000 in Saudi Arabia is 34. With his experiences as a driver and a passenger, he mentions that not many of the citizens living in the country abide by driving laws, which may pose a risk as to why accidents are so high. It is also said in the blog “Driving in Saudi Arabia” by Continental that in a WHO report, “Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of road accidents worldwide. The majority of drivers have terrible driving practices, and accidents involving vehicles operated by children happen often… there are also the dangers posed by nature, such as glaring sandstorms, flash floods…” By having these environments it can pose a higher risk for drivers in the country. 
 

   In the article by IvyPanda, “Automobile Exposure - The Various Threats That Drivers Face in Saudi Arabia”, they state that all drivers in Saudi Arabia must have third-party insurance. “The number of the financial consequences of automobile insurance include increased expenditure for drivers under insurance” (IvyPanda, 2022). Thus, one of the consequences of driving in Saudi Arabia is dealing with drivers who do not have third-party insurance. This may result in uninsured drivers being at risk of accidents, fires, theft, and more (IvyPanda, 2022). According to the research article “Causes and effects of road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia” by Ansari et al. (2000), between the years 1971 through 1997, over 550,000 people died or were injured in road traffic accidents. “Over 65% of accidents occur because of vehicles traveling at excess speed and/or drivers disobeying traffic signals” (Ansari et al., 2000). Thus, these are just a few consequences of driver accidents in this country. The article recommended that drivers use safety seat belts when driving and set up a database to collect, store, and analyze the data on road traffic accidents (Ansari et al., 2000).

    On a positive note, with technology improving, road safety has improved in Saudi Arabia. With better and smart choices by drivers and improvements in technology, the decrease in road injuries will soon improve (Press Release Network, 2022).