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MAKKAH: Saher is no longer a concern for many drivers as they have come up with innovative ways to avoid being caught by speed cameras, including signal warnings to alert other drivers where the cameras are.
When the system was first introduced, it exasperated many drivers, mainly because it could register a speeding offense more than once in a single day, which is against traffic laws.
The drivers, both Saudis and expatriates, have now come up with new tricks to avoid getting caught by the system. They have started warning one another using certain signals that Saher cameras are near. The drivers then slow down and avoid being caught by the system.
Some angry drivers have resorted to violence to avoid the cameras. They have destroyed many Saher vehicles throughout the Kingdom.
This system falls short of ensuring traffic safety. It only catches those who speed, not those who commit other deadly traffic violations, including using mobile phones while behind the wheel, not fastening safety belts and dangerous overtaking maneuvers, one driver said.
Another driver who spoke to Arab News on condition of anonymity said Saher cameras do not catch drivers who reverse on the road, drive with their headlights off in the dark or move dangerously from one lane to another. "These are deadly violations that Saher cameras will not capture," he said.
Some drivers are embittered by the fact that since Saher was introduced, fines for speeding have increased tremendously.
"I paid about SR3,000 in fines for speeding in one month, which is equivalent to an employees monthly salary," one driver said.
Motorists have adapted a method used by illegal residents in some Makkah districts where they destroyed Saher cars thinking that the cameras were planted there to photograph overstayers.
Now that the police have started to guard Saher cars and the cameras have started operating again on streets and highways, the drivers are resorting to another trick that involves warning each other whenever Saher cameras are near.
They flash their headlights or apply their brakes several times so drivers behind them take notice and slow down.
Signals also include alternating indicator lights repeatedly. Once they are safely out of reach of the cameras, drivers speed again.
When the system was first introduced, it exasperated many drivers, mainly because it could register a speeding offense more than once in a single day, which is against traffic laws.
The drivers, both Saudis and expatriates, have now come up with new tricks to avoid getting caught by the system. They have started warning one another using certain signals that Saher cameras are near. The drivers then slow down and avoid being caught by the system.
Some angry drivers have resorted to violence to avoid the cameras. They have destroyed many Saher vehicles throughout the Kingdom.
This system falls short of ensuring traffic safety. It only catches those who speed, not those who commit other deadly traffic violations, including using mobile phones while behind the wheel, not fastening safety belts and dangerous overtaking maneuvers, one driver said.
Another driver who spoke to Arab News on condition of anonymity said Saher cameras do not catch drivers who reverse on the road, drive with their headlights off in the dark or move dangerously from one lane to another. "These are deadly violations that Saher cameras will not capture," he said.
Some drivers are embittered by the fact that since Saher was introduced, fines for speeding have increased tremendously.
"I paid about SR3,000 in fines for speeding in one month, which is equivalent to an employees monthly salary," one driver said.
Motorists have adapted a method used by illegal residents in some Makkah districts where they destroyed Saher cars thinking that the cameras were planted there to photograph overstayers.
Now that the police have started to guard Saher cars and the cameras have started operating again on streets and highways, the drivers are resorting to another trick that involves warning each other whenever Saher cameras are near.
They flash their headlights or apply their brakes several times so drivers behind them take notice and slow down.
Signals also include alternating indicator lights repeatedly. Once they are safely out of reach of the cameras, drivers speed again.
