A tragic car accident that claimed the life of a promising young Saudi doctor left people shocked and heartbroken on social media earlier this week.
The incident took place on Sunday when Dr. Abdulrahman Makeen was on his way to pick up his MD certificate.
According to Akhbaar 24, the young man had recently graduated from medical school with distinction.
In a statement released by his alma mater, the University of Jazan, its officials sent out their condolences to his bereaved family.
The tragic news broke Saudi Twitter...
This came after Jazan university announced Makeen's tragic passing...
His death left many heartbroken...
"This kind of news is just so heart-wrenching. May God have mercy on his soul and give his family patience."
And completely speechless...
"There's no strength or power but in God."
"May he rest in peace"
"And may God grant his mom all the patience she needs."
The incident also led many to speak out about the rising rates of road accidents in Saudi
"Traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia are destroying everything, it's like we're at war. Parents bid farewell to their children fearing for their safety on the road every single day. Why is there this fear of strictly implementing laws against reckless drivers?"
Traffic accidents are a major cause of death in Saudi Arabia
Car accidents are considered one of the major causes of death in Saudi Arabia.
According to the most recent statistics, a car accident happens every minute on average in the kingdom. This adds up to more than 460,000 crashes per year.
In 2017 alone, the country recorded over 7,000 deaths related to car accidents.
In 2016, 9,000 car accident fatalities - a number that translates to 12 percent of the Gulf state's total deaths for that year - were recorded. This marked the highest increase in traffic-related deaths since 2007.
However, overall, things are getting better due to the implementation of the kingdom's electronic traffic management system, Saher.
"The introduction of Saher system has reduced the severity of traffic accident injuries by 20 percent and mortality rate by 37.8 percent,” Sulaiman Al-Ghannam, a principal investigator, told Arab News.
This year, the system continued to contribute to lowering the rate of road accidents. While still remarkably high, the rate of crashes and related deaths appears slightly lower than it was in 2016.
