Some 4,000 people in the Kingdom die every year as a result of road accidents, according to official statistics. That figure, however, pales in comparison to the number who die of smoking-related diseases. The latest statistics from the World Health Organization estimate that 22,000 people in this country die every year from smoking-related illnesses.

The WHO says that some 30,000 people die every year in the Gulf region because of smoking. The magnitude of the problem becomes clear if we know that of all those who die in the Gulf region because of smoking, 22,000 are in Saudi Arabia.

This is a frightening figure compared to the total population of the Kingdom which is around 22 million. Right now we are faced with a situation in which the number of people who die every year as a result of smoking is five times more than those killed in traffic accidents.

Despite the high number of deaths among smokers, public attention — including media coverage and other awareness campaigns — is more focused on road accidents than on the dangers of smoking which is very much a major killer.

Our media coverage is by no means proportional to the risks caused by these two killers. The volume of writings on smoking, whether news or articles, appearing in local newspapers and magazines does not exceed one percent of what is written about road accidents. Is it because most of our reporters and writers themselves are smokers? This could be one reason since even those journalists who have stopped smoking cigarettes and cigars have turned to smoking water pipes.

At a recent social event attended by a group of writer colleagues, I noticed that most of those present were busy drawing smoke from hookahs lining the walls. Enjoying what they believed to be a relaxed atmosphere and appreciating the good company, my hookah-smoking colleagues were so absorbed in their own worlds they barely joined the discussion.

Since a danger continues to loom as a result of the widespread habit of smoking, too little attention is being directed to addressing the problem. Thousands of people continue to die every year as a result of smoking — and our media seems barely concerned.

Of all the public bodies that have initiated a ban on smoking, Saudi Arabian Airlines must be commended for refusing to compromise, insisting on enforcing a strict ban on smoking on all its flights despite warnings that it could lose passengers.

Contrary to this approach, the ban on smoking inside government offices and other public places continues to be ignored by those who have no concern for their own health or the health of others.