Drivers in Qatar Getting Better at Obeying Traffic Rules

Qatar is making huge leaps forward when it comes to ensuring the safety of its pedestrians and drivers. According to a recent news article from Qatar Living, the traffic department of the country has initiated several programs to teach drivers how to drive safely around the country.

Some people say that the erratic traffic that is common in Doha, Qatar, can be attributed to the kind of cars that people buy there. Most people prefer 4 x 4 vehicles that have tread-less tires fit for the desert, and they are driving these cars around like sports cars.

Image Credit: Ministry of Interior Qatar FB Page

Traffic Violations in Qatar Down 21 Percent

The Ministry of Interior released the latest statistics on traffic violations during the first half of 2018. The number has dropped significantly by 21.1 percent compared to the same period last year. This translates to a grand total of 830,318 violations in the road for the first half of this year, until the month of June.

Aside from this data, the Ministry of Interior also mentioned that they handed out 39,345 driving licenses to new drivers, and registered 32,688 new cars for the same period this year.

Full Support from the Public

In addition, a survey shows that people from Qatar are in full support of the traffic improvement programs, with 37 percent of them even agreeing to increase penalties for red signal violators. The same survey, which was organized as a Twitter poll by the General Directorate of Traffic, showed that 33 percent of people from Qatar agree to maintain the red signal violators fines.

On the other hand, 23 percent of the poll respondents said that the fine is too expensive and must be reduced, while 7 percent said they have no opinion on the matter. A red signal violator will be fined QAR 6,000 plus 7 black marks against the violator’s license.

Image Credit: Ministry of Interior Qatar FB Page

Record Number of Transactions

This year also set a record for the most number of recorded transactions by the Ministry of Interior. According to department representatives, the number of transactions increased by 4.5 percent compared to last year’s numbers.

In particular, the number of transactions is at 49,084,450 for the first half of this year. That’s equivalent to a daily average of 272,691 transactions, or 11,362 transactions per hour.

Hopefully, these latest trends will continue, and ultimately result in better public sentiment towards the aggressive traffic characteristic of people visiting the Middle East in general. This shouldn’t stop you from visiting Doha, though, as this article shows it has so much to offer!