Use of mobile while driving causes 80% of accidents in Qatar MoI intensifies traffic safety campaign

Date

7/28/2016 3:33:42 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) A motorist using mobile phone while driving.

By Sidi Mohamed

DOHA: The General Traffic Directorate at the Ministry of Interior has intensified a campaign against people who use mobile phone and don";t wear seat belt while driving.

The campaign began on Sunday and continues until the end of summer. Fine for violation is QR500.

Major Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba, Assistant Director, Media & Traffic Awareness Department, told this daily that police patrols are every where to register such violations.

'We have chosen the summer months because there is no major traffic jam and it is easy to stop any violator and register offence like what we are doing now.”

Odaiba said: 'Motorists using mobile while driving will be booked on the spot by patrols and security and fined. 'The campaign aims to curb these two violations because many motorists not only use their mobiles for call but also WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media sites for Pokémon GO — a new smartphone game — which can endanger their and others"; safety.

'The campaign";s aim is not just to collect fines but also to increase awareness among motorists.”

A traffic police personnel directs traffic in Doha.

'It aims to highlight the importance of using seatbelt and how dangerous it is to use mobiles while driving. We want motorists to avoid such accidents,” he added. 'So far, there has been no significant increase in the number of violations. We don";t want to disrupt traffic, we want everything to go smoothly, and this not the first time we are focusing on violations, we do it usually in summer.”

Many patrols are participating in the campaign, including Al Shamal patrols, South patrols, Dokhan patrols and those in Doha. Every week, the department evaluates the impact of the campaign and its results. In accordance with the report, the Traffic Studies and Information Section issues report about the campaign and results.

The campaign is within the framework of the ministry";s aim to reduce accidents and the number of deaths and injuries. According to data provided by the Traffic Department earlier, using mobile phone while driving is the cause of more than 80 percent of accidents in Qatar and about 94 percent of the people surveyed online by the ministry believe that using mobile phones while driving is risky and the cause of major road accidents.

The Peninsula

if(window.innerWidth < 728){ googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-796530061225000279-1'); }

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.