Islamic scholar defends Saudi traffic cameras

A senior Islamic scholar has defended a controversial advanced traffic surveillance system introduced by the Gulf Kingdom early this year in a bid to curb soaring road accidents.

The system, dubbed “Saher” has triggered public criticism on the grounds it includes sophisticated traffic cameras that can see into the cars. Some said the system amounts to an act of spying, which is banned in Islam.

“The Traffic Department’s Saher system is a praiseworthy practice,” Sheikh Ali Hakami, a member of the Saudi Supreme Judicial Council, was quoted as saying by the Saudi Arabic language daily Okaz on Friday.

The state-of-the-art traffic management system monitors vehicles and tracks them via their license plates using technology. First introduced last April, the system’s cameras are usually hidden on trees, bridges and billboard signs.

“Using technology to save lives is a positive step because the system has reduced traffic accidents caused by speeding, Sheikh Hakami said. “It would have been impossible without the Saher system.”

Official data showed the death rate caused by speeding dropped 49 per cent from 118 to 79 cases in the capital Riyadh since the Saher system was introduced. Injuries declined by nine per cent from 583 to 525 while traffic accidents were down by nearly 21 per cent from 51,959 to 40,900.

According to Okaz, Saudi Arabia has invested SRtwo billion in the system, which involves the deployment of nearly 11,000 speed cameras through the Kingdom, the largest Arab economy and the world’s top oil exporter.