[Type the document title] Literature Review: Road Traffic Accidents

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Literature Review: Road Traffic Accidents

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION TO ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS ..................................................................... 4 Safety .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Safety of Roads .................................................................................................................................. 4 Safety condition of Vehicles ............................................................................................................... 5 Road Traffic Accidents ...................................................................................................................... 5 Major Causes of Road Traffic Accidents .......................................................................................... 7 Improper maintenance of vehicle .................................................................................................... 8 Red Light Running.......................................................................................................................... 9 Use of Mobile Phones while driving .............................................................................................. 10 Drunk driving................................................................................................................................ 11 Avoiding Seat Belt or Helmets....................................................................................................... 11 Youth races and careless driving ................................................................................................... 11 Improper road structure ................................................................................................................ 12 Effects of Traffic Accidents ............................................................................................................. 13 Social Impacts of Road Traffic Accidents ..................................................................................... 13 Economic Impacts of Road Traffic Accidents ............................................................................... 14 Ways for controlling the traffic accidents ....................................................................................... 14 INTRODDUCTION INTO THE CEASES OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN JEDDAH CITY ......... 18 History of the problem in Saudi Arabia .......................................................................................... 18 The Roads and Public Transport in Saudi Arabia ......................................................................... 19 The causes of the Road Traffic Accidents in Saudi Arabia ............................................................ 19 The effects of the Road Traffic Accidents in Saudi Arabia ............................................................ 20 Jeddah City ...................................................................................................................................... 22 Population ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Economy ....................................................................................................................................... 22 Society ........................................................................................................................................... 22 Road &Traffic Laws in Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) .......................................................................... 23 THE USED METHDOLGIES AND ANALYSIS OF DATA ............................................................. 23 The different used methodologies for gathering the data ............................................................... 23 Analysis of international data .......................................................................................................... 24 Analysis Middle East data ............................................................................................................... 27

Literature Review: Road Traffic Accidents

Analysis Saudi Arabia and Jeddah data ......................................................................................... 28 CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATION ............................................................................................ 29 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................... 31

Literature Review: Road Traffic Accidents

Literature Review
INTRODUCTION TO ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS Safety According to Security Industry Association (SIA 160), safety is defined as; Adequate safety with respect to a hazard is ensured provided that the hazard is kept under control by appropriate measures or the risk is limited to an acceptable value. Absolute safety is not achievable. (Schneider, 1997) According to Wildavsky (1988), Safety is a protective measure to ensure the chances of unfortunate incidents are kept at minimum. As the above definition identifies, it is not possible to achieve an absolute safety level, however it can be assured that the risk of getting hurt is reduced by taking precautionary measures. Safety has become a common phenomenon and a word of mouth in every aspect of life. Not only the man created acts of terrorism and violence have increased the safety measures, but also the defense against the natural dangers and catastrophes has highlighted the issue of safety. (Wildavsky, 1988) Safety of Roads The concept of safety appears at every place that has a potential to be injurious to the well being of the users and Road is one of them. Ever since the evolution of mankind, the infrastructural development has been improving to allow safe movement, better communication and luxury travel. The development of road structures is a part of this need driven development of the social infrastructural environment. However, the creation of smoother and wider roads has enabled the traffic to move faster than before, leading to increased road accidents. Similarly, the burst of vehicles on the roads has enhanced the incidents of unfortunate traffic accidents. (Marmot, and Wilkinson, 2006) Due to increasing number of vehicles on the road, the better and faster vehicles, hastiness of life, and inconceivably higher instances of fatal road accidents, road safety has become a common matter of interest for the policy makers around the world. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation) (2010), Road safety is one of the most crucial yet largely neglected public matters. In their action plan for year 2010-2011, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have mentioned that the number of accidents on the road due to poor road safety conditions is causing up to 1.3 million deaths every year. This is nearly 3000 fatalities every day, which is a highly alarming count. The road accidents are killing as many people as the fatal disease like tuberculosis and malaria and if the second and third world countries do not join hands with the

Literature Review: Road Traffic Accidents

developed regions to take serious safety measures in this regard, the death toll is likely to increase by two times by 2020. (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: International Federation, 2010) Safety condition of Vehicles There are many reasons for the road traffic accidents and poorly maintained cars and ignorance of vehicle safety measures are significantly important among them. The vehicles being machinery require continuous check up and maintenance in order to ensure that they are safe to be taken on the road. Hartman, et.al (2000), in their research study of the commercial vehicle safety in United States have concluded that there are bright chances of reducing the road traffic accidents caused by vehicle failure or shortcoming. They have concluded that if the vehicle manufacturers take into account the statistics of the road traffic accidents and facts about the failure of vehicle performance and design causing them, they can determine the areas for potential improvement in the design and manufacture of the upcoming models. According to Karnopp (2004), the improvement of vehicle performance and increasing their safety feature is one of the best ways to fight against the road traffic accidents. Karnopp believes that vehicle safety should be determined by taking into account the safety features that the road users prefer and require in order to keep them safe from road accidents and injuries. The prime focus of the vehicle safety measure should not only be the prevention of the accident but also the reduction of injury in case of road crash. According to the D.G Transport European Commission, (2009), if every car out there on the road can provide the same level of crash safety that the superior and luxurious models provide, the fatalities due to the road accidents can be reduced by half. This means that vehicle safety alone can resolve half of the total road traffic accident problem. The report by European Commission states that if the automobile industry gives the due focus to impart of technological advancement into the vehicle safety features of the cars, the scenario of traffic accidents would be different altogether. Road Traffic Accidents According to Bartley, (2008), until very recently, road traffic accidents were considered to be caused by undeterminable and unpredictable factors. Therefore, there was no real effort made in order to take control over them. This is the reason that the great attention that this matter has attracted recently is considered by the international community as a late response. However, the latest researches about the major causes of the road traffic accident and the basic factors involved in it have opened ways for further discussion and analysis. According to Bartley, there are three basic factors that are involved in a road traffic accident including the driver (and the passengers, if any), the vehicle and the road. Any mishap that involves these three factors and which leads to the damages to the driver (and the passengers, if any) and the vehicles is called as road traffic accidents. The reason that road traffic accidents have become an issue in the limelight is because they have been the cause of death and disabling injuries of millions of people around the world.

Literature Review: Road Traffic Accidents

According to a recommendation report issued by RO-SAT (ROad Strategy for Accidents in Transport), a working group of experts within the Group of Experts appointed by the European Commission (EC), in order to counsel the Commission on a Strategy to Deal with Accidents in the Transport Sector; road traffic accidents can be controlled and reduced through: Continuing discussions and opening a wider consultatation process at different levels (political, technical) on the opportunities that European action, including legislation, could represent as a means to guarantee that important lessons and recommendations are permanently obtained from road accident investigations across the EU. (Expert Group on Accidents in the Transport Sector, 2008) Another recommendation of this group of expert fully dedicated towards the study of road traffic accidents is to promote the creation of independent group of experts within each member of the commission that should be tasked with the investigation of the major causes of road traffic accidents and the ways that they could be reduced. (Expert Group on Accidents in the Transport Sector, 2008) The group of experts appointed by the European Commission provided the following workflow diagram that the independent group of experts should follow while researching the road traffic incidents in their respective regions;

Source: (Expert Group on Accidents in the Transport Sector, 2008)

Literature Review: Road Traffic Accidents

The above workflow suggests that the Independent group of experts should have the right to directly peep into the Practice (accidents) and obtain the first hand data, instead of relying over the Criminal Enforcement or Administrative Enforcement to reach over the required data. The step taken by EC in order to control the incidents of road traffic accidents is an exemplary measure that can be taken by all the other countries, in order to create an international movement with an aim to minimize the unfortunate loss of valuable human life as well as the damage to the economy caused by the road accidents. Major Causes of Road Traffic Accidents The key focus of all the researchers and analysts working on the road traffic accidents has been to determine the major reasons that cause them. The identification of the problem, i.e. the causes of the accidents, will enable to eradicate the issue from within he roots. According to the various researches the main reasons that cause the road accidents include the following; y y y y y y y Improper maintenance of vehicle Red Light Running Use of Mobile Phones while driving Drunk driving Avoiding Seat Belt or Helmets Youth races and careless driving Improper road structure

The above mentioned are only some of the many reasons that lead to road accidents. (Porter, 2011) The below graph is a depiction of how a driver connects with the environment and how this connection can lead to severe accidents.

Literature Review: Road Traffic Accidents

Source: (Elslande, 2007) Improper maintenance of vehicle According to a report issued by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), (2001), the improper maintenance of vehicle and failure to tire aging check up are among the most common causes of road traffic accidents. The report identifies that approximately 6,000 people die annular in U.S only due to this negligence. The failure to maintain the tires has the potential danger of causing tire burst of the vehicle at high speed over the roads. This can lead to horrible accidents, leading to severe injuries and even death. According to a research conducted by Barton and Blackwood (2004), brake failure is one of the common reasons that lead to road traffic accidents. The research proved that a large majority of people fail to comply with the occasional vehicle maintenance requirement and as a result, the chance of brake failure rises. In their Police Fatal Accident study, Barton and Blackwood identified that out of 24 cases of road accidents under the survey, 13 cases were such where the vehicle had break defect before the time of accident. They revealed that in all these 13 cases the drives were aware of the fault in the break system of the vehicle, however, showed negligence in repairing the problem and continued driving the vehicle. In their research, Barton and Blackwood suggested that it is essential that the vehicle manufacturers should consider the introduction of brake failure warning technology into the vehicles, so that the drivers are continuously warned about the problem and forced to repair it on immediate basis. The above analysis indicates that vehicle maintenance is one of the serious cassation factors for road traffic accidents.

Literature Review: Road Traffic Accidents

Red Light Running According to a report issued by Office of the Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives, (Office of the Majority Leader U.S. House of Representatives, 2001) red light running is a condition in which the driver neglects the red light of the traffic signal and runs the car through it. The red single is a stop signal so that the traffic from the other sides of the road gets the way to move in an organized manner. Running through the red light affects the organized movement of the traffic from the other sides of the road, leading to severe accidents. In order to prohibit the drivers from committing the offense of red light running, the Automated Enforcement Programs have been initiated in more than 74 countries of the world. This system captures the images of the of the signal violators through the fixed camera network, which can later act as an evidence and tracking system against them. The introduction of this system is however is very costly and installing an individual camera system might cost from $40,000 to $75,000. (Urban Transportation, 1995) The graph below shows the trend of violations per hour of the traffic signals during the days of the week.

Source: (Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation CTRE Management Project 99-49, 2000)

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According to the graph above, the most usual instances of traffic signal violations occur during the working days of the week from Monday to Friday with Tuesday and Wednesday having the peak violations. (Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation CTRE Management Project 99-49, 2000) Use of Mobile Phones while driving There are various reasons that lead to the distraction of the drivers, which ultimately become a cause for the fatal accidents. The distraction occurs when the drivers attentions sways away from the road and into other factors. The following are some of the most common distraction causing reasons for a driver; y y y y y y Tuning of the temperature of the car Tuning the radio or CD player Eating or drinking while driving Talking to the passengers Smoking Use of mobile phones (Stutts JC et al., 2001)

According to a research conducted in United Kingdom, 45% of the total drivers under the selected population agreed that they send text messages while driving. (The RACC Foundation, 2008). Another similar research was conducted in Australia which revealed that one out of every six people selected as the sample population used text messaging while driving. (Hosking S, Young K, Regan M., 2007) A research was carried out in United States which also proved that 27% of the Americans reported that they have sent or read messages over the mobile phone while driving their vehicles. The use of mobile phones leads increased reaction time while driving. (Telstra, 2003) There is a hot debate regarding the use of wireless phone devices against the cordless phones. This argument tries to prove that since the wireless devices such as Bluetooth, allows the driver to keep the hands free over the steering, the hazards of using mobile phone get reduced. Caird et al., (2008), though their research have however, proved the above argument wrong. According to them, there is no difference in the hazards caused by the use of mobile phones while driving whether they require the aid of hands to be used or have a cordless device. The major hazard of using mobile phones is that it distracts the focus of the drivers leading them away from the road. According to them, the use of mobile phones has recently become a major cause of road accidents around the world and this matter needs serious consideration by both the drivers as well the traffic law enforcement authorities of the local regions. (Madden M, Rainie L., 2010) (Leidschendam, 2008)

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Drunk driving According to a report issued by World Health Organization (2007), on the use of alcohol as a cause of accidents, it is stated that the consumption of alcohol while driving has become a major obstacle to reduce the instances of road traffic accidents. Except the regions of the world where alcohol is officially prohibited, the use of alcohol is among the main reasons of the road traffic accidents. The consumption of alcohol causes dizziness in the driver due to which he/she fails to give the required focus to the road. The use of alcohol causes loss of control over the steering or the delayed judgment of the opposite traffic coming towards the vehicle, hence leading to horrible collisions. According to a research conducted in Spain by Alvarez, Del Rio and Prada, (1995), it was revealed that more than 60% of the drivers agreed to be regular drinkers and among them, 25% were those who drank at an alarming high quantity. The research proved that the majority of the drivers consumed alcohol either while driving or immediately before it. The research found that there were 145 such people who reported to consume alcohol during driving, while a large majority agreed on consumes alcohol before driving. (Alvarez et.al., 1995) Avoiding Seat Belt or Helmets Seat belt is one of the most effective ways to remain protected in an event of vehicle crash. Seat belt is one of the primary accident prevention features that the vehicle manufacturers around the world have provided to the drivers. The use of seat belt reduces the effect of shock and keeps the body stable in case of a jolt caused by accident. The usage of seat belts has become a part of traffic law in almost every region of the world. (Zaza et al. 2001) As proved in their research study, Sacks, Holmgreen, Smith and Sosin (1991), consider the use of helmet is also one of the most effective ways to keep the head safe in case of an accident on motor bikes and bicycles. As motor bikes and bicycles are two wheel drives, the danger of accidents is greater in their drive as compared to four and more wheel drives. The avoidance of seat belts has been found to be one of the common reasons to severe injuries and deaths in road traffic accidents. According to United Kingdom Department for Transport, (2003), the consequences of road traffic accidents would not have been very severe if the drivers had used the seat belts or helmet as a proper preventative measure. Youth races and careless driving As per a report issued by World Health Organization, (2002), young people are the most affected from the road traffic accidents. The report identifies that in more than 30% of the total road traffic accident injuries, the affected are people below the age of 25 years. Moreover, among the total of 383,046 deaths caused by road accidents during 2002, more than half were of people

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from African and South- East Asia Regions. However, the highest figures of road traffic causalities among young people are noticed in African and the Eastern Mediterranean regions.

Source: (WHO, 2002) The report also clarifies that the major reasons that make the youngsters the prime victim of road traffic accidents is that they are reckless in their driving and prefer high speed driving. The higher the speed of the vehicle, the more difficult it gets to control it and therefore any small mistake can lead to horrible consequences. In order to control this problem, the technology has been called for to develop such a system within the upcoming as well as the existing vehicles that can automatically detect the recommended speed limits of the roads and maintain the speed of the automobile accordingly. Such a system which is called as Intelligent Speed Adaptation, is an intelligent approach towards the mitigation of the problem of over speeding among the young drivers. (WHO, 2002) Improper road structure The structure and quality of road is one of the best ways to reduce the road traffic accidents. Improper road structure and undue blockages due to wrecked or imbalanced road is among the

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cause of road traffic accidents. In order to control this problem, the Road Safety Audit (RSA) was initiated during 1990s in United Kingdom. Appreciating the guidelines of this system, it was gradually spread into the entire world and many countries adopted the guidelines and made it a statutory requirement to be followed. The main essence of this system is that the construction process of a road right from the inception till the final completion should be continuously checked and audited by an independent group of experts. These experts ensure the quality of the construction and put forward their recommendations in case of any shortcomings. The process got inducted into the road construction industry of United Kingdom due to the increasing incidents of road traffic accidents caused by poorly constructed road. (Hirasawa, et.al., 2005) The introduction and acceptance of Road Safety Audit (RSA) throughout the world is an indication of the measure taken by the authorities to increase the drive safety and friendliness of the roads. Effects of Traffic Accidents The consequences of road traffic accidents are very serious in terms of both social as well economic impacts. The way and the extent by which the world suffers losses due these accidents are identified below; Social Impacts of Road Traffic Accidents There is a very minimal research in the identification of the social impacts of road traffic accidents as the major portion of the research studies in this field aim to identify and focus on the economic impacts only. However, the research that has been done in this area has proved that road traffic accidents badly affect the social lives of the affected people. Those who are directly affected by these accidents are the drivers and the passengers who get severely injured or even die. The research study conducted by Mitchell, (1997) proves that a large number of the people involved in road traffic accidents suffer from life lasting disabilities. The major injuries caused by road accidents include broken bones, injuries to head, brain and even the disc slips. All of these injuries are extremely fatal. The disabilities caused by the road accidents lead to the destruction of the entire career of the individual who then gets dependent upon others in his/her daily life chores. The others who also suffer from road accidents are the family members of the affected person. A person dying in a road accident leaves behind the dependants. Due to being the only or the major earning hand, a person suffering from disabling injuries in road accidents, fails to earn anymore and as a result the entire family has to go through a difficult time. The loss of important lives is definitely a big social dilemma that the societies have to face. Even the economical impacts due to these accidents directly impact the social lives of the people. (Axup, 1988) According to a research, the number of working years lost due to the road accidents is a major problem for the society as well as the economy of the regions. The research indicates that along

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with fatal diseases such as typhoid, malaria, respiratory and circulatory diseases, road traffic accidents is one major reason for the loss of working years of the affected people. (Ghee, and Astrop, 1997) As already discussed, young people are the most affected group of society by road traffic accidents. Losing a young one in an accident or a child getting disabled for the rest of the life due to a road accident is a bitter fact that the society has to swallow. (Axup, 1988) Economic Impacts of Road Traffic Accidents The economies of the countries have been badly affected by the road traffic accidents. As mentioned above, a large proportion of the affected people from road accidents have to face to long lasting injuries of life time disabilities. These people fail to continue the normal routines of their lives including their jobs or businesses. Therefore, the economic loss of the individuals when taken in total becomes a huge sum. The entire world has to bear this economic loss. The cost of treatment of the patients of road accidents is also another economic loss to the individuals. The cost of medical expenses varies from region to region, however overall these expenses add up to make a big amount. Moreover, the permanent disabilities of the patients lead to the disturbance of the economic stability of the entire family. The funeral expenses incurred on the deaths of people in the road accidents is another major economic expense. Another damage that is caused by the road traffic accidents is the loss of labor. The people affected by the traffic accidents belong to different fields of life contributing their parts in the economic stability of the regions. The damages to the vehicle are another major economic loss to the people. The purchase of vehicle is not easy for the lower to middle class families and they spend a major portion of their savings to buy a vehicle. Even if the human life is saved in an accident, the vehicle is always likely to receive damages from the accident. Therefore, this causes a major loss to the car owners, who have to face big amounts to repair their vehicles. (Richmund, M., et.al. 2005) Ways for controlling the traffic accidents Thousands of lives are lost daily due to road traffic accidents. The affected are usually the drivers, but can also include anyone passing by the road, children playing on the roads, construction crew working on the road side, children passing the road after their school, etc. Millions of people have to spend months of their lives in hospital after suffering a road accident, many get disabled for lifetime and several have to live with deep bruises on their body or with a long lasting health problem. Road traffic accident has become a global dilemma and that is why, it has recently received a great focus worldwide. According to the former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra: The problem of road traffic injuries is indeed a highly serious one, but it is also a problem that can be dealt with and prevented through concerted action among all the parties concerned. Through the leadership and strong commitment of the Government,

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we are confident that we will be successful in our efforts and we hope that others will be as well. (Aeron-Thomas et al., 2002) Besides great attention taken by this issue, it is considered that the current efforts are minimal in comparison to the increasing miseries that it is causing. A report has been published by World Health Organization in collaboration with World Bank that aims to identify the most effective means of preventing and reducing the road traffic accidents. The report initially identifies the magnitude of suffering that road traffic accidents has been causing and through a step wise approach, details the most effective ways that this problem can be controlled. The report was produced in collaboration with more than 100 experts from all around the world, representing their respective field of expertise including engineering, health, education, police, civil society, transport as well road construction industry. Responding to the effectiveness of the recommendations made in the report, the President of Republic of Kenya; Mwai Kibaki has stated that: I urge all nations to implement the recommendations of the World report on road traffic injury prevention as a guide to promoting road safety in their countries. With this tool in hand, I look forward to working with my colleagues in health, transport, education and other sectors to more fully address this major public health problem. (Aeron-Thomas et al., 2002) According to the report, the prevention of road traffic accidents is not only the responsibility of the government; rather there are many parties who can together play a great role in controlling this issue. These parties are shown in the diagram below;

Source: (Aeron-Thomas et al., 2002)

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Government and Legislative Bodies Whenever there is a problem faced by the society, the government is where all the expectations get centered. This is because people create governments so that it can solve their problems and create a better and safer place for living. Therefore, the governments have a direct responsibility to take reasonable and immediate steps in order to control the road traffic accidents. The policy makers need to create policies, programs and plans for prevention of road traffic accidents and allocate budgets accordingly. It is considered to be more productive to create separate government agency that is given a reasonable control and power over decision making and budget utilization related to road safety programs and procedures. There are various obvious examples of such organizations such as the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Swedish National Road Administration (SNRA). These organizations are given the resources as well as the authority by their respective governments in order to create effective road safety policies. (Aeron-Thomas et al., 2002) Media Media is considered to be one of the main pillars of a society. Media has been playing a very positive role in the creation of awareness and concern among the people about the increasing problems around them. The majority of road traffic accidents occur due to lack of care while driving, using alcohol and drugs and the violation of traffic rules. The best way to control over these factors is to realize to the people how dangerous the above mentioned factors are and how can they be avoided. Media has the major role to play in creating this public awareness and bombarding the minds of the people with the dangerous impacts of using drugs and alcohol and the serious consequences that violation of traffic rules can lead to. (Elder et al., 2007) Professionals Prevention of road traffic accidents requires a sharing of responsibilities among different professionals. It is expected that the road safety engineers, traffic planners, educators, health care professionals, police, and insurers will all play their part in order to get a control over this great issue. Every one of the above mentioned professionals have to understand that the prevention of this problem is only possible through connected efforts and therefore they all have to bear the responsibility of reducing it. Moreover, the professional people are considered to be the educated and well informed section of the society. These people can play their role in the reduction of the road traffic accidents by creating examples through their careful driving and abidance of the traffic rules. (Tingvall, 1995)

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NGOs, Special Interest Groups A great role can be played by the Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), which can promote and publicize the issue of road traffic accidents. Since these organizations work directly in the fields and are in contact with various influential people within different regions, they can create awareness among the mass through a direct contact. Through their experiences and field observation, these organizations can help to identify the effective resolution of the problem and the creation of policies for the prevention. These organizations can particularly play a very influential role in the developing countries where they are present in abundance and through their working experience with the community members and the affected families, they can help in the creation of the best preventative procedures. (Breen, 1999) Police Police plays a great role in the prevention of road traffic accidents. These are the people who have a responsibility to implement the traffic laws and prohibit the violations. According to Weston, (1968), a considerable reduction in the road traffic accidents can be achieved if police performs its duties honestly. In his research, Weston indicates that the patrolling of police on the highways and their close inspection of the traffic violators forces the road users to abide by the traffic laws. Moreover, the fining of the violators leads to a stricter environment due to which the road users abide by the rules. The majority of road traffic accidents occur due to over speeding, wrong way drive or red light running and they are all different forms traffic law violation. Traffic police also plays an important role of testing the blood alcohol concentration limits (BAC) of the road drivers. Since alcohol consumption is another major cause of road accidents, testing the BAC of the drivers on the basis of random selection or suspicion is an effective way to discourage this act. However, the powers delegated to the police with regard to the inspection of BAC in road drivers vary from region to region. There are countries where the police are allowed to stop only those drivers who visibly appear to be impaired. In some regions, police creates checkpoints where it has the authority to check the suspected drivers. However there are also such regions where police has the complete freedom to test BAC of any driver on random basis. (Zaal, 1994) Industry A major responsibility falls over the industry that can contribute towards the road safety process by designing and producing such vehicles which are safer to drive. Moreover, the industry has the resources to produce sophisticated road safety equipments which can be integrated into the overall road infrastructure. A large number of industrial vehicles run on the highways. There are numerous cases of road traffic accidents where the light as well as heavy vehicles of the industry have been involved. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the industry to hire, train and motivate

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the drivers to abide by the road safety procedures and create such internal policies which ensures that traffic laws are abided in any case. The above mentioned are however not the only ways by which the corporate world can contribute towards the improvement of road safety. For instance, in Finland, the insurers scrutinize all the fatal road accidents and commune the obtained data to the relevant government authorities. Similarly in United States, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety collects the data on road traffic incidents and communicates them to the researchers and the government agencies. (World Health Organization, 2004) Users/Citizens Perhaps the most important players in the prevention of the road traffic accidents are the users or citizens themselves. The people need to understand the consequences of their rash driving, drunk driving, violation of traffic laws and use of mobile phones. Through media campaigns and other forms of public awareness programs, the common people should be enlightened about the daily loss that the world faces socially as well economically. In parallel with the creation of preventative procedures and installation of new equipments, the common road users should be educated about the proper way of following them. (World Health Organization, 2004)

INTRODDUCTION INTO THE CEASES OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN JEDDAH CITY History of the problem in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has been facing an enormous growth process since 1970s. The improving economy of the country enabled the people to purchase motor vehicles, and as a result, the number of automobiles grew exceptionally and immediately. In order to support the rapid increase of motor vehicles, Saudi Arabia invested huge budgets on the construction of a better road infrastructure. Gradually with the increase in the number of cars and roads, Saudi Arabia started becoming a victim of road traffic accidents. A report issued by Mufti in 1983 recorded that road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia have been the second major cause of death after the infectious diseases. (Ofosu et.al) Motor vehicle is the basic transportation means in Saudi Arabia. During the economic boom caused by the discovery of oil in 1973, the fate of Saudi nation changed altogether. The buying power of people became such strong that they were able to afford more than one motor vehicle. The ultimate effect of such a rise in the economic power of the nation was that the road became filled with heavy traffic. The more the number of vehicles of grew, the greater became the incidents of road traffic accident. The extend of this vehicle boom in the region can be determined from the fact that during 1970, the registered number of vehicles in Saudi Arabia

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were only 144,768, however the figure increased to 5,861,614 by 1994. This represents an almost 40 times increase over a period of only 24 years. At the same time, it became essential to support the increasing vehicle traffic with well structured and better road network. Therefore Saudi government increases the length of paved roads from 8500 km during 1970 to an extensive 43,003 km road structure in 1992. The increase in the length of the roads has been rising till date. (The General Directorate of Traffic, Ministry of Interior Riyadh, 1994) According to a research, 564 762 people lost their lives due to road traffic accidents during the period from 1972 to 1997. This represented almost 3.5% of the then total population of the country. (Ansari, 2000) The Roads and Public Transport in Saudi Arabia Although the process of building modernized road networks has been in progress in Saudi Arabia since last two decades, yet the public awareness on the road safety procedures are very limited. The responsible authority for the construction of road networks in KSA is The Ministry of Communications. Saudi Arabia uses external expertise imported from the developed regions of the world, in order to design and construct modern road structure equipped with all the required and up to date safety equipments. (Al-Ghamdi, 1994) According to a research, almost 5% of the road traffic accidents occurring in Saudi Arabia have been attributed to the factors related to vehicles. Whereas the average rate of accidents caused by the vehicular factors in the developed countries of the world is 20%. This is a significant portion of the total road traffic accident causing factors. (Treat, 1980) Considering this factor, the government of Saudi Arabia initiated an episodic Motor Vehicle Inspection Program (MVIP) in 1986. According to this program, it was decided to inspect all the vehicles on the roads of the country on annual basis. This inspection program now covers almost 90% of the total region of country. Although this program restricted a large number of poor conditioned vehicles from the road, however, there were still many such vehicles which were old and in poor state. (Ministry of Communications, 1994) The causes of the Road Traffic Accidents in Saudi Arabia Traffic accidents, as mentioned earlier, are not the problem of one region or several. It is rather the dilemma that is faced by every country. Saudi Arabia is among the top places in the list of countries most affected by road traffic accidents. The reasons that cause these accidents are all common all over the globe. Therefore, the causes of the road accidents in Saudi Arabia are similar to those in the entire world. These can be categorized as below; y y y Wrong parking U-Turn Overtaking

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y y y y

Run red lighting Speed Alcohol Other

Among many others; the above mentioned are some of the most obvious reasons of road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia.

Source: (Al-Ghamdi, 1994) The above figure reveals that among the major reasons of road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia, over speeding is the major cause. More than 70% of the road accidents are caused by speeding above the limit imposed by the traffic authorities and disobeying of traffic signals including red light running. The road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia caused by speeding are almost 1.6 times more than those happening in USA due to the same reason. Similarly, the accidents caused by improper over taking in Saudi Arabia are eight times greater while violation of traffic signals are four times greater than in USA. (Al-Ghamdi, 1994) The effects of the Road Traffic Accidents in Saudi Arabia Similarly to the causes, the effects of road traffic accidents are common globally. The effects that these accidents have on the regions depend upon the following factors; y y y y The demographic characteristics Vehicle quality characteristics Efficiency of traffic authorities Efficiency of traffic laws

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y y y

Quality of roads Quality of safety procedures on Road General literacy rate and awareness of the drivers (Ansari, 2000)

The effects of road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia can be categorizes into two basic categories of social and economical factors. According to a research statistics, more than 80% of the road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia occur in the cities. This is linked to the fact that the majority of the population lives in the urbanized regions of the country, hence leading to greater incidents of road accidents. This is also linked to the huge amount of vehicle travel kilometers driven in the city areas. However, it is also revealed by the research that the traffic accidents occurring in the rural areas of the country are more severe than the urban road accidents. This is associated with the reason that the speed of the vehicles at the highways passing through or around the rural populated regions is very high leading to more brutal accidents. (Al-Ghamdi, 1994) This indicates that the traffic accidents have their effect on the people living in both the rural as well urban regions of Saudi Arabia. The number of total beds in 175 hospitals of Ministry of Health is estimated to be around 26737. Research indicates that almost one third of these total beds are always used by the patients admitted due to road traffic accidents. It should be noted that this patient rate is excluding those who receive immediate medical treatment either at the site or at the emergency ward. A large portion of these total patients admitted due to road traffic accidents suffer severe injuries leading to disabilities. According to a statistics given by the Ministry of Health for the period of 1993 to 1995, it is revealed that road traffic accident is the top death causing factor in Saudi Arabia after tumors and cardiac illnesses. (Ministry of Health, 1995) According to a study conducted in the Eastern Province hospitals reveals that 46% of the total injuries that the people perceived were caused by traffic accidents and more than 80% of these patients were under the age of 40. Moreover, the study revealed that among the total road traffic injuries, 20% were faced by the children under the age of 12 years. The ratio of male to female patients due to road accidents was 9:1. The study further revealed that at the time of accident none of the patient was wearing a seat belt. The hospital statistics revealed that almost 50% of the patients were discharged after an immediate treatment, whereas 25% stayed in the hospital for more than 30 days. Among the long staying patients of road accidents, 33% were those who received disabling injuries. (Ansari, 2000) Besides the above mentioned social impacts of road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia, the economic loss also badly hits the country. The road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia cause an estimate of SR 21 billion loss annually. The normal economic loss caused by road traffic accidents in the industrialized countries is approximately 1-2% of the total national income, however, in Saudi Arabia; the total loss in the national income of the region is between 2.2%-

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9%. This is a great proportion of loss which the nation faces due to the high level of road traffic accidents. The death or disability of a family member in Saudi Arabia badly hits the economic stability of the entire family, as women are not allowed to participate in the industrial jobs. (Ansari, 2000) Jeddah City Jeddah is one of the most influential cities of Saudi Arabia, in terms of its economic and commercial importance. The city is one of the highly populated regions of western Saudi Arabia, situated besides the coastline of Red Sea. The estimated population of the city of around 3.4 million and the location importance of this region due to being the main gateway to Makah, the holy city of Muslims, keeps roads of this city very busy. (Jeddah Govt, 2011) Population The population of Jeddah is presently estimated to be 3.4 million, which is likely to become 5 million by 2029. Demographically, Jeddah is one of the most diverse cities of Saudi Arabia, where only 52% people are Saudi nationals, whereas the remaining 48% are non-national. The population of Jeddah is almost split equally between the male and female citizens; however the pattern of gender gets tilted towards male when the non nationals are considered alone. As the literature facts mentioned earlier proved that the majorly affected people in the road traffic accidents are youngsters, the 40% of the total population of Jeddah consists of young people. Therefore, the problem of road accidents is likely to be significant in this city. (Jeddah Govt, 2011) Economy Jeddah is an economic hum of Saudi Arabia due to the increasing commercial activities. This region enjoys a direct contact with the Red Sea. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Makkah province consisting of both Jeddah and Makkah city makes up to 217.5 billion SAR. This is the third highest GDP figure of the country. The economy of the region has become diversified due to the large Islamic tourism, Jeddah Islamic Port and the growing network of international Islamic commerce. Oil is not a significant part of the economic stability of this region; rather the important industries of the city include plastic and chemical industry, agriculture and fisheries. (Jeddah Govt, 2011) Society The majority of Saudi Arabia consists of Muslims, besides the minority communities representing different other religions and beliefs. A significant proportion of the population of the region prefers to stay in the cities. The statistics indicate that 50% of the total population of Makkah province lives in Jeddah, while 23% in Mekkah city. There is a significant trend in the

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urbanization of the population with more and more people filling into the Jeddah city from the rural areas around. An unfortunate issue in the Jeddah city is inequality of among the genders. The male have more rights and opportunities than female. Though this has its roots connected to the norms of Muslim community, yet a significant change has recently been witnessed in the Muslim world. Only 15% of the labor force of the city consists of female workers, as compared to the remaining male work force. Similarly, the literacy rate in male population is significantly greater than the female. Moreover, a significantly large proportion of the road users of the city consist of male. (Jeddah Govt, 2011) Road &Traffic Laws in Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) The traffic system followed in Saudi Arabia in general and Jeddah city in particular are almost similar to the global traffic rules and laws. The traffic regulation of the country falls under the responsibilities of Ministry of Interior. To regulate the growing traffic anomalies of the country and to reduce the road traffic accidents, a revolutionary measure was taken by the Saudi government called saher system. This traffic control mechanism has been implemented in almost all the major cities of the Kingdom and has significantly brought changes in the overall traffic system. Some of the main features of Saher system are as follows; y y y y y Traffic Control System Vehicle Location Identification Authorized number Plate identification mechanism CCTV camera systems networked with the Ministry of Interiors National Information Center An automated traffic signal management system based on such factors as the density of traffic and its movements in particular intersections. (www.Saher.goc.sa, 2011)

THE USED METHDOLGIES AND ANALYSIS OF DATA The different used methodologies for gathering the data The research work that has been conducted in analyzing the different aspects of road traffic accidents uses both primary as well as secondary sources of information. The majority of the researches use the aid of secondary data available from various sources such as past literature work, facts and statistics from relevant road traffic authorities and data obtained from various social organizations such as World Health Organization. The analysis and interpretation of the secondary data obtained from the above mentioned sources enables the researchers to identify a summarized trend in the road traffic accidents. Every research conducted in the area of road

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traffic accidents has used the following methods in order to obtain primary information for interpretation and scrutiny. y y y y y y y y Questionnaire Interviews Checklist Survey Forms Observation Group discussions Face to face meeting (University Libraries, 2011)

The above mentioned methods of obtaining primary information are almost common in all types of researches. All the research work done in the subject of road traffic accidents have greatly relied over the questionnaire, interviews and checklists aimed at the road users in the targeted regions. In order to calculate the economic impact of road traffic accidents, two popular approaches are employed worldwide by the researches. These include the Human Capital Approach and Willingness to Pay Approach. In Human Capital Approach, human beings are considered to be a resource for any organization that plays a vital role in sustaining and promoting it. Therefore, the loss to the human life or disabilities caused by road traffic accidents affect this important resource. The willingness to pay approach is based on the idea that every individual is willing to pay a price in order to lessen or diminish the probability of the accidents. Both of these approaches are allowed to determine a reasonable economic impact of the road traffic accidents around the world and are therefore among the widely implemented tools by the researchers. (Richmund, M., et.al. 2005) Analysis of international data The international researches conducted earlier in the topic of road traffic accidents have revealed almost similar results. The most affected areas in terms of Road deaths per billion vehicle kilometres includes Czech Republic, Korea, Slovenia, Belgium and New Zealand, among many others. (International Road Traffic and Accident Database, 2009) The international data reveals that the issue of road traffic accidents is common everywhere and therefore, it is a global dilemma. The statistics reveal that the most affected age group is the young generation who die or suffer life time disabilities due to road traffic accidents.

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Road deaths per billion vehicle kilometers in 2007, selected countries

Source: (International Road Traffic and Accident Database, 2009) According to a research conducted by Fouracre and Jacobs, (1977), the road traffic accidents not only cause the loss of millions of live every around the world, but also badly affecting the economy of the individual regions. Their research indicates that around 1 percent of a countrys Gross national product (GNP) gets affected by the road traffic accidents. This figure is later used by many other regions to determine the cost of road traffic accidents in their respective regions. Using the aid of this research and imparting other scales and expertise, the World Bank and other similar organizations have estimated a higher percentage of around 1 to 3 % affecting the GNP of a country. (Fouracre and Jacobs, 1977). The researches indicate that the major source of

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information about the number of deaths caused by the road traffic accidents include police, Insurance organizations, government authorities, governmental and non-governmental social service organizations, etc. The researches indicate the information provided by the police authorities has been found wrong when compared to the data provided by other organizations including insurance companies. For instance, the statistics provided by the police department in Philippines only covers one death out of every 5 reported in the medical institutions. Similarly, in Indonesia, more than 40% deaths are reported by the insurance companies as compared to the statistics provided by the police authorities with respect to road traffic accidents. Moreover, the deaths reported by the Department of Health in Taiwan were more than 130% as compared to the data provided by the police. (Jacobs, and Aeron-Thomas) The above information reveals that the data provided by most of the police departments around the world are incorrect or unsatisfactory. This can put a question mark over the accuracy of the research results based on the information obtained from police authorities. However, the satisfaction reverts back when it is considered that almost all the researches include more than one source of data, therefore taking account of the inaccuracies of data provided by one source. Estimated road fatality regional distribution (1999)

Source: (Jacobs, and Aeron-Thomas) According to the above graph, Asia and Pacific is the most affected region of the world due to road traffic accidents. More than 44% of traffic accidents occur in this region. After that, HMC is affected by around 14%, while Latin/Central America & Caribbean is affected by 13%. The above graph reveals that Middle is affected by 6% of the total road fatalities around the world. The table below reveals the international statistics of the road traffic accidents in terms of percentage. The table divides the regions of the world into six regions and according to the statistics, Asia Pacific covers 16% of the total vehicles on the road of the world and only with

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such small percentage, accounts for 54% of the total population in the world that is affected by the road accidents.

Distribution of global deaths and licensed vehicles Region Road fatalities % 14 44 12 13 11 6 100 Vehicles % 60 16 6 14 4 2 100 Population % 15 54 7 8 11 4 100

Highly motorized countries Asia/Pacific Central/Eastern Europe Latin America/Caribbean Africa Middle East/North Africa TOTAL

Source: (Jacobs, and Aeron-Thomas) Analysis Middle East data The analysis of road traffic accidents in Middle East indicates that like all other regions of the world, this is also badly affected by the road traffic accidents, both economically and as well socially. The research analysis indicates that road traffic accidents is one of the major causes of deaths in the Middle East region. The table below indicates that this dilemma is affecting the people regardless of their class. Moreover, the table indicates that five countries in the Middle Eastern region are included in the list of highest road traffic death rates around the world. The table below indicates that United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait had more 18 deaths per 100,000 people during the year 2000. Interestingly, all these countries are located in the Upper Middle East regions. (Adnan, 2006) It is believed that besides the great number of deaths and huge loss to the economy of the region, there is seldom shown any seriousness in controlling the dilemma. Out of the entire Middle Eastern countries, only Bahrain and Israel have issued the age wise road accident death rate report to WHO. The statistics revealed in the report issued by Bahrain indicates that road traffic accidents in this region cause more losses to life years as compared to the combined impact of diseases such as cancer, hearth anomalies and infection. Among the Lower Middle part of the region, the countries like Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Syria have relatively lower death rates. Middle East is categorized among the developing regions of the world, where the economic stability and buying power position of the population is getting better over the time. This factor has lead to

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increased number of cars on the road. Although the road structure and traffic systems are getting improved, yet the measures taken are not considered satisfactory. (Adnan, 2006)

Death rates from road traffic injuries for countries in the Middle East by income Income and country Low: Yemen Lower middle: Egypt Iraq Jordan Syria Upper middle: Oman High: Bahrain Israel Kuwait Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Source: (Adnan, 2006) Analysis Saudi Arabia and Jeddah data The analysis of the road accident statistics revealed by majority of the researches indicates that the death rate caused by this anomaly is improving over the time. Although the statistics reveal that the number of registered vehicles on the roads of Saudi Arabia has greatly increased in the past few decades, yet the number of road accidents has become considerably lower. The statistics of the period from 1973 to 1985 of Saudi Arabia indicate that the decrease in the rate of deaths on the roads due to the accidents has reduced by 82.9%. This is almost 14.6% annual reduction over these 14 years. The reduction in road accidents in Riyadh is 83.1% from 1973 to 1985, which is an annual reduction rate of 14.7%. However, the rates for Jeddah city indicate that the reduction of the road accidents have been 88.2%, which is almost 17.9% annually. The research indicates that the accident rates in Riyadh are almost 100% greater than in Jeddah, beside the fact that the number of vehicles per capita is higher in the latter. During the same mentioned period, the increase in the registered vehicles in Jeddah has been 3492%, which is an annual growth rate Deaths per 100 000 people 8 13 8 15 10 25 12 8 18 19 21 29

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of 31.7%. This is an exceptional increase in the number of vehicles coming on the road and obviously required a huge capital investment on the road structure of the region. The statistics show that besides the great increase in the road traffic, the number of accidents remained under control in the Jeddah region. However, when the impact of losses both in the form of human life as well as economy is consider, it is evident that it is yet a significant and alarming situation. A very interesting revelation is made by the statistics generated by research that although the number of road accidents is higher in Riyadh as compared to Jeddah, yet the number of causalities and fatalities is greater in the latter. The researches have shown that the number of causalities and fatalities are higher in the regions where the pedestrian accidents are higher. The pedestrians are considered to be the most vulnerable people on the roads and hence any unfortunate event of accident will lead to great physical damage. Jeddah is facing the issue of greater fatalities due to the higher pedestrian alongside the roads of the city. (Ofosu et.al) Although a reasonable extent of research has been carried out on road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia, however, unfortunately, a very little up to date study has been made on Jeddah city in this regard. Jeddah, which is considered to be one of the most populated and economically important parts of Saudi Arabia, is facing the problem of road traffic accidents, which can only be resolved by conducting research on the prime factors leading to these accidents and the areas where the government can take measures in order to take control over them. CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATION The above literature review has proved that road traffic accidents are a leading death causing factors almost around the world. As the population of the world is increasing, the number of vehicles on the roads is increasing at the same pace. Although the road networks have been greatly improved in the developed parts of the world, yet it is noted in the above literature analysis that the problem of road traffic accidents is still an issue. The above review of the literature and past researches indicate that there were several measures taken at the governmental level to take control of the problem and reduce the loss of important human lives. However, these measures are considered to be unsatisfactory, as to deal with a great problem a greater solution needs to be evolved. The majority of the statistics are providing by the police departments, insurance organizations, medical organizations, social organizations and traffic authorities of the countries. These sources together have revealed that a great loss is suffered in the form of human life. Millions of people die on the road crashes and millions face life time disabilities due to the same. A great loss is also suffered economically due to the loss of human capital as well physical property. The literature review has shown that the greatest factors that lead to road accidents include drunk driving, fast driving, red light running, careless utruns, wrong way driving, disobedience of speed limits, poor vehicle maintenance, etc. The literature has also identified that the most affected age group by the road crashes is the young generation of less than 25 years of age.

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Saudi Arabia is at the top position among the regions of the world that are most affected by the road traffic accidents. Saudi Arabia, a greatly developing part of Middle Eastern region has faced a sudden increase in the number of vehicles coming up on the roads in the past 2 decades. This is linked to the economic boom in the region due to discovery of oil and increasing foreign investment. As the number of vehicles on the road has increased, the road traffic accidents have become more serious. Jeddah city is one of the most affected parts of the country where the problem of road crashes is causing even more deaths than the life threatening diseases such as cancer and heart diseases. In order to improve the condition, there is an immediate need to evaluate the major factors that lead to road accidents at individual district or city level around the world. This is the only way to determine the ground realities of every region in order to create a relevant response plan. The road network has to be improved further by taking care of all the road safety requirements. The vehicle manufacturers have to play a great role in increasing the safety condition of the vehicles by imparting the technological safety features and better road grip of the cars. The governments need to take control over the increasing number of vehicles by creating restrictions on the number of vehicles owned by one family. There should be precise measures taken for each of the major accident leading causes identified by the literature review. There is yet a great room for revelations made by up to date research and analysis in this regard. There is a need to conduct a periodic assessment of the statistics of the road crashes at national as well as international level in order to determine the changing trend of deteriorating or improving situation.

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