RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's first batch of women car accident inspectors are training to respond to incidents involving female drivers, who will be allowed to drive in the conservative Muslim kingdom starting on Sunday when a decades-old ban ends.Forty women hired by private insurance company Najm attended a celebration on Thursday (Jun 21) in the capital Riyadh. All of them wore black abayas, the traditional loose-fitting robes, and most covered their faces with the conservative niqab as they lined up to receive symbolic diplomas.Just days before women are set to hit the road, though, it was unclear when the trainees will be ready to start their new jobs and how they will navigate mixed-gender environments in a country where strict separation rules usually prevent women from interacting with unrelated men.Sweeping social reforms pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, twinned with an economic overhaul aimed at ending dependency on oil exports, are chipping away at traditional … [Read more...] about Saudi female car accident claims inspectors ready for women driving
Road traffic accident claims
Singapore: Audi coming from opposite direction hits Honda at Holland Road
Two cars collided at a junction of Holland Road and Holland Avenue on Friday evening, May 18. The accident involved a Honda and an Audi and both of the vehicles were badly damaged. An eyewitness, Freddie, who was passing by the accident scene shared the images with the Stomp. The photos showed the front of the red Honda was badly wrecked. Reports stated that the accident took place when the Honda was about to turn right towards the Holland Avenue from Holland Road and suddenly a black Audi, which was coming from the opposite direction, collided with the red car. Even though the accident did not cause any injury to the drivers of both cars, they will be claiming insurance as involved vehicles were badly damaged. Singapore Police Force has published their Annual Road Traffic Situation 2017, where they stated that compared to 2016 the road safety situation has improved in 2017, as there were fewer road traffic accidents took place in the last year. The report also showed that the number … [Read more...] about Singapore: Audi coming from opposite direction hits Honda at Holland Road
DAY ONE – Seven days of danger. Road toll down.
As Thai holidaymakers journeyed to their hometowns for the annual New Year Festival with accompanying high traffic volumes on highways and crowded transport hubs, the Road Safety Operation Centre on Friday reported a slight decrease in accidents, deaths and injuries on the first of the seven-day road safety promotion period ending January 3. Thursday saw 41 deaths and 500 injuries in 477 road accidents – down in comparison to the same day last year when 524 road accidents claimed 42 lives and wounded 526 people, said Minister of Transport Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. Chiang Mai reported the most accidents at 23 cases and the most casualties at 25 injuries while Si Sa Ket suffered the most fatalities with six deaths. The top two main causes of accidents were drunk driving (42.77 per cent) and speeding (26 per cent), while most crashes (73.62 per cent) involved motorcycles, Arkhom said. About 44 per cent of accidents took place on highways, while about one-third occurred on village … [Read more...] about DAY ONE – Seven days of danger. Road toll down.
Highways police accused of causing road accident
Two highways policemen have been bombarded with criticism for allegedly failing to exercise due care and causing a traffic accident in which two people received minor injuries over the weekend. The social media outcry erupted after Orawee Choochuen, 27, a musician, posted a video clip on Jan 28 of a crash that involved three vehicles, and demanded to know if two highways policemen should be held responsible for the collisions.In the clip, a highway policeman is seen in the middle of the road signalling for a 10-wheel truck which was following Ms Orawee's car to stop. She then crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front. She explained that her car had been hit in the back by the truck, which failed to brake while she was slowing down, the driver apparently distracted by the police."The police say it isn't their fault. They were doing their job. How am I supposed to feel about this?" she wrote.The clip was shared widely on social media and led to heavy criticism of the … [Read more...] about Highways police accused of causing road accident
Road slaughter: Are we at breaking point?
Societies that forget to adjust their ways to changing circumstances, sooner or later pay a price. Back in the old days, when traffic was light and not so fast, it was forgivable to pass over safety principles in road design, disregard driver education, and condone dangerous driving behaviour. Sure, accidents happened and people died, but on the whole losses remained within reasonable bounds. Fast-forward to the present day. Thailand has evolved into a highly motorised and mobile society. The country's 69 million inhabitants now own close to 40 million (registered) cars and motorbikes. Every day, a motley collection of trucks, buses, cars, motorbikes, and the occasional cyclist or pedestrian battle for space and priority on the kingdom's increasingly crowded roads. Travel speeds have gone up too, thanks to the introduction of more powerful vehicles.The increased ease of moving around has brought the country and its people many benefits. Yet, important downsides have presented … [Read more...] about Road slaughter: Are we at breaking point?