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By:Ali Alolaywi

English95

April 22-2015

Drifting Vs the death in Saudi Arabia

Drifting. Have you heard about it? Well, this is a “game” in which a motorist engages in various chilling automobile stunts that to an ordinary observer appears nearly impossible to achieve. Such skills are rare and attract a lot of people who find it to be fascinating, unbelievable and at the same time very interesting. Imagine having your car’s tires screech and smoke as the car glides over a smooth and wide road while tilting in all sorts of crazy manner or spinning in manners that induce instant nausea. That is awesome, right? However, as much as drifting appears to trigger a lot of fun, it is a dangerous adventure that when done carelessly and without adequate training turns out to be a source of several accidents and consequently tragic deaths.

According to BBC, there have been a rising number of road users in Saudi Arabia that have been engaging in drifting. This has been partly attributed to the presence of open roads that provide ample space for such maneuvers. The major problem, however, is that this drifting has in several occasions gone wrong and lead to a rising number of deaths recorded on the roads.

These triggers are a lot of questions in relation to the current situation in Saudi. Does the youth of this state, who are the major participants in this practice, deserve to die on such a dangerous road game? Can there be an alternative that will reduce the number of youth taking part in the drifting practice? Muhammad Al-njar, a police officer and the head of the Traffic officers in Saudi Arabia has been quoted saying, “I am afraid to wake up one day and see our country

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empty of young boys because of drifting “. This serves as an indicator to how the practice has majorly affected the youth community in a negative and gross way.

Saudi Arabia, on almost each day, wakes up to tragic news relating to this dangerous activity. Several deaths and injuries are reported on the roads due to accidents caused by the so-called hobby amongst the youth of Saudi Arabia which, courtesy of these young people, has been termed "drifting".

The practice, since its origin about twenty five to thirty years ago, has claimed a large number of lives. According to Al-Hurrah newspaper, the last statistics gathered in Saudi Arabia showed that around 7,000 people die every year due to drifting. In addition, according to statistics by the government of Saudi Arabia, more than 544,000 car accidents were reported in last year. These accidents led to the death of 7,153 people which analytically translates to 64 accidents per hour and twenty deaths per day. These are alarming statistics that call for action from the government, rest the state runs the risk of falling short of its youth power.

Further analysis of the data provided by the statics reveals more. From the statistics, it can be deduced that there are more than 86,000 people who died in the last 20 years, a number greater than that experienced in several wars. For instance, in terms of figures, the Arab Gulf war in 1990 caused the death of 70,000 people. This clearly suggests that what we have in Saudi Arabia is a tragedy, a disguised “war” with the number of causalities caused by drifting in the state correlating to war casualties.

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Many people have blamed the government in failing to address this issue. Some feel that the country has inadequate social facilities to tap the youth’s adrenaline and thus keep them away from engaging in the dangerous drifting practices. They feel that, for instance, car clubs should be setup to provide useful information to the youth on how to drift safely or advise them on the need to keep away from the practice all together.

The government of that country has, however implemented various measures in the last ten years meant to curb the problem. Several laws have been put in place. Drifting in the country is now a traffic violation as well as a criminal offence. As such, anyone caught doing it will be subjected to trial and be fined or jailed for a couple months or years while their car will be confiscated for a certain period depending on situation in which they were caught in. The spectators, who end up getting injured when accidents occur, will also face the law accordingly when caught.

For example, a man known as al-Nazeem was eventually caught by the police in Saudi Arabia for his several violations of the law regarding drifting. The man, who had become famous in the internet and even garnered many online fans by posting videos portraying his drifting skills, was jailed for 10 years accompanied by 1000 lashes as reported by the Saudi Gazette. During his case hearing, the prosecutor added that this young fellow had allegedly caused a passenger death during one of his irresponsible activities.

Several others have been apprehended for involving in the practice with legal actions being taken on them. Such legal actions, though they might appear to be too harsh, will help greatly in restoring order in the roads and thus cut down on the number of deaths reported from these roads.

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More still requires to be done in regard to this problem. The government of Saudi Arabia can, through use of the available funds, turn the practice into an amazing and safe sport. The youth can then undergo vigorous training before being allowed to participate in it in order to make the sport a mature and acceptable one. Through the sport, the government will consequently earn revenue in a series of different activities such as allowing corporations to advertise their products and services and inviting foreigners to participate in the sport. The revenue can be channeled to various projects that will oversee the improvement of the living standards of the people as well as the general development of the state. This will be a win-win situation in which the youth will still be able to engage in their hobby while the government, too, benefits from the practice.

Many, if not all of the people in Saudi Arabia, are affected by this problem be it directly or indirectly. Therefore, the families affected by the practice should be encouraged to help in fighting the problem by educating their young people and showing them the need to refrain from this practice. After all, older family members, including parents are more close to their youth as compare to the government and are therefore in a better position of talking to their young ones. They are also in a better position of being listened to. Parents should take responsibility of looking after their children from an early age, for example, by not allowing their children to drive cars while they are not of the right age yet.

In conclusion, there is need for collaborative effort between the Saudi government and the people when tackling this issue if there is to be any notable success. The public should not blame the government every time a case of drifting-turned-soar is reported in the state. People

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should instead cooperate with the government by reporting cases of drifting to the authorities as well as keeping away from the drifting events for their own safety.

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Work cited

King Al-Nazeem, Saudi Drifting Phenomenon, Gets 1000 Lashes. (2014). Retrieved from

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4950004

Drifting on Public Roads Becomes Criminal Offense in Saudi Arabia. (2014). Retrieved from

http://www.carscoops.com/2014/01/drifting-on-public-roads-becomes.html

John Metcalfe. (2012). When Automotive 'Drifting' Goes Horribly Wrong, in Saudi Arabia.

Retrieved from http://www.citylab.com/commute/2012/05/when-automotive-drifting-goes-horribly-wrong-saudi-arabia/2145/