Webinar on traffic awareness stresses need to follow road rules and precautionary safety measures
- 4 years ago
Traffic accidents in Qatar are on the decline, despite a marked increase in the number of vehicles, thanks to improved road infrastructure and adherence to traffic laws by motorists.
An open awareness webinar on traffic safety organized yesterday by the Traffic Awareness Department at the General Directorate of Traffic, in cooperation with the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior stressed the need to follow rules on roads and shared tips about safety measures and services, provided by the department.
Participation to the webinar was open to different sections of the society including representatives of companies, institutions and individuals.
Top officials from different departments including Traffic Awareness Department, Traffic Safety, Patrols, Traffic Investigation and Licensing Department presented various topics in the seminar which was presided by First Lieutenant Ahmed bin Hamad Al Thani, a top official at the Traffic Safety department.
Captain Saud Abdullah al-Hamad, officer of the Traffic Safety Department noted that the number of traffic accidents in Qatar had reduced by 2.8 percent in 2019 as compared to 2018. A total of 217, 353 road accidents were recorded in 2019, while there were 223,718 accidents in 2018. In 2019, 168 people lost their lives to road accidents, while 154 died in 2018.
“We believe that the reason for the decline in the number of road accidents is improved infrastructure on Qatar roads and the implementation of traffic laws among motorists,” he added.
Captain al-Hamad also detailed the tasks of the traffic personnel in regulating movement of vehicles, supervising and being present on the road to reduce accidents and control violators and said that the department carries out studies on all traffic diversions and issues permits related to road closures and plans. Captain al-Hamad also explained the classification of traffic accidents and the importance of the presence of radars to control traffic on the roads and prevent exceeding the speeds specified for each road, and announcing the locations of radars on the roads and the specified speed for each road.
Captain Hamad Talib al-Marri from the Patrols and Traffic Investigation department advised everyone to make sure their Ehteraz app is on while on road
and to make sure the application is on while leaving home.
“Traffic patrols have been conducting a very effective campaign on checking Ehteraz app among passengers. When going out make sure that your Ehteraz app is on and it showing the green colour code. Otherwise, it will be considered a violation and legal action will be taken,” he warned.
Captain al Marri also highlighted the role that traffic patrols play on the roads in monitoring and controlling vehicle movements. He said that in light of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and to adhere to guidelines laid down the authorities, special attention was given with regard to limiting the number of passengers in a vehicle, and the mandatory wearing of masks. He also stressed the importance of adhering to traffic rules and avoiding committing traffic offenses.
Captain Abdel Wahid Gharib Al-Anezi from the Traffic Awareness Department presented a set of traffic advice and instructions related to road safety while also reviewing a number of awareness programs prepared by the traffic department.
Lieutenant Yousef Fahad al-Ali, officer of the Licensing Affairs Department, explained various tasks by the department while supervising the work of the external sections related to driving and vehicle licences of all kinds and issuing of traffic certificates. He also elaborated on the procedures for issuing and cancelling of licenses and documenting the data related to mechanical vehicles and driving licences
The program concluded with a question answer session wherein the traffic officials responded to all the queries put forth by some participants of the webinar.
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