سواتر السيّارات المظللة تتربص بالأبرياء.. أهالي القنفذة لـ«عكاظ»: أين الرقابة؟

"The inside is lost and the outside is born"… With this proverb, a number of residents and visitors of the city of Al-Qunfudhah began discussing the state of chaos caused by vehicles racing like the wind, driven by youths and teenagers day and night, roaming the streets of Al-Qunfudhah and its centers like Al-Mudaylif and Al-Qawz.

Regarding this phenomenon, several citizens spoke to "Okaz," confirming that anyone walking in the streets of Al-Qunfudhah notices the absence of oversight and monitoring of the vehicles that roam day and night without license plates and with tinted windows, as barriers are placed on the front windshield of the vehicle to conceal the identity of the driver.

Ali Khalil told "Okaz": A few days ago, in broad daylight, a vehicle with barriers ran a red light at the intersection of Al-Qunfudhah General Hospital, and there was a group of pedestrians about to cross the road on foot; had it not been for God's mercy and their escape onto the sidewalk, they would have been run over. He expresses his hope that the relevant authorities will increase oversight and monitoring, as the "Saher" system is not enough to protect lives.

Ahmad Ibrahim added to "Okaz" that the phenomenon of drifting and high-speed driving by unknown vehicles is witnessed by everyone along Al-Sittin Street, which has seen unfortunate accidents, calling for the relevant authorities to intervene quickly to save lives from reckless drivers.

For his part, Ahmad Mousa told "Okaz," at the northern corniche beach, I parked my vehicle in the designated spot and was surprised by the sound of a collision from a speeding vehicle that its driver lost control of… He adds, several months ago, a number of teenagers died as a result of a tragic incident when their vehicle collided with a truck that was about to turn on Al-Sittin Street. Said Abdulrahman told "Okaz" that there are violations by some vehicle drivers, and a teacher breathed his last a few months ago due to a vehicle running a red light, and a young man died at the Al-Qunfudhah triangle several years ago in front of his father's eyes due to a vehicle running a red light at the triangle.

"Okaz" contacted the director of traffic in Al-Qunfudhah to get his response and comments, but no reply was received by the time this report was prepared. "Okaz" conveyed the complaint to the governor of Al-Qunfudhah, Muhammad Al-Qabbah, who confirmed that he is following up on the matter with the relevant authorities.