Saudi Arabia 2025: Reducing road fatalities by 60% and implementing global environmental technologies
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has achieved an unprecedented leap forward in the transport and logistics sector, with the General Authority for Roads revealing exceptional results for 2025, including a record 60% decrease in road fatalities. This achievement is the culmination of intensive strategic efforts aimed at enhancing road safety and improving quality of life, in line with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
A radical shift in safety and quality standards
This significant decrease in fatality rates was not a coincidence, but rather the result of diligent work and close coordination with the Ministerial Committee for Traffic Safety. The year 2025 marked a pivotal turning point, with the implementation of stringent preventative policies and improvements to road infrastructure. Official data indicates that 80% of roads now meet the highest international safety standards according to the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to providing a safe road network comparable to those of developed countries.
In a related context, the Authority began the actual implementation of the “Saudi Road Code”, which is a unified technical reference that aims to unify standards and specifications in all road projects in the Kingdom, thus ensuring the sustainability of the infrastructure and raising its operational efficiency.
Global leadership in sustainability and environmental innovation
In a move that underscores the Kingdom's leadership in environmental sustainability and the circular economy, the authority announced the implementation of the world's first road constructed using demolition waste as part of its asphalt mix. This project, undertaken in collaboration with the Al-Ahsa Municipality and the Mawan Center, represents an innovative solution for reducing environmental pollution and utilizing construction waste instead of landfilling it, thus opening new horizons for the global road industry.
The Authority continued its innovations to serve pilgrims, using "flexible rubberized asphalt" technology, produced from recycled tires, to pave a 16,000-square-meter section of the Al-Mashaaer Road in Arafat. This technology aims to provide flexible walking surfaces that reduce pressure on the feet of pilgrims, especially the elderly, and contribute to lowering temperatures, thus enhancing the comfort of pilgrims during the Hajj rituals.
Infrastructure expansion and strategic partnerships
In terms of urban and logistical expansion, the Authority inaugurated an extensive road network exceeding 1,300 km in length, encompassing 15 vital projects across various regions. Among the most prominent of these projects is the Safwa-Rahima road in the Eastern Province, which includes a 3.2 km double-track marine bridge, making it one of the longest marine bridges in the Kingdom and contributing to facilitating transportation and supporting the logistics sector.
To bolster the private sector's role, the authority opened investment opportunities for completing the direct Makkah-Jeddah highway, which will reduce travel time to 35 minutes and directly connect King Abdulaziz International Airport to the Fourth Ring Road. A project was also launched to link the Asir and Jazan regions with an expressway, which will enhance trade and tourism between the two regions and create promising investment opportunities through one-stop service station projects.
These achievements confirm that the Kingdom is moving steadily towards achieving its strategic goal of reaching sixth place globally in the road quality index by 2030, consolidating its position as a global logistics hub linking the three continents.
