Qatar's Dangerous Roads
A fatal car accident on Friday left at least two adolescents dead on the Tib Al Raqda Road in Rawdat Al Rashid near the Al Shahaniyah area.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Qatar's dangerous roads yet, it is best to look out for the paths you might be taking, as road accidents are one of Qatar's leading causes of death.
Tib Al Raqda, along with many other risky roads, is said to be "prone to accidents," as it is common location for individuals to engage in dangerous activities such as car stunts.
Two weeks ago, the same area witnessed another car accident in which five Qataris died.
The road to Sealine is also notorious for being high-risk.
The country has a come a long way in working to decrease the number of car accident deaths by imposing speed limits, speed cameras, and launching multiple awareness campaigns such as the Ministry of Interior's "One Second" safety campaign.
As of 2007, car accidents caused over 8,000 deaths in Qatar, according to Al Jazeera.
Moreover, last year, there were 4,218 accidents resulting in injury.
Whether these accidents occur from speeding, texting while driving or plain recklessness, car accidents is still a big issue in Qatar.
Therefore, take the time to think twice about the places you might be driving to and take any extra precautions to ensure your safety. For example, avoid driving there at night and avoid the fast lane (if there are multiple lanes).
I do worry about the next generation. I mean the many who will not be here, will not even be born, because of the slaughter of young men on the roads of Qatar.
Mandi
"Ex-pats who followed the laws in their homeland out of fear of being caught and punished for breaking them quickly discover that such a fear is unwarranted in Qatar.
We all know where the fixed speed cameras are, and we all know that we are never going to get caught for talking on mobile phones or driving recklessly.
Relying on people to 'do the right thing' because it's safe (and not because they are afraid of punishment) doesn't work with people who are totally convinced that they are unbreakable."
Perfect. The above text should be published everywhere, across all media as soon as possible here in Qatar. You have hit the nail on the head. Excellent observation Fubar.
very succinctly put:-)
Agreed, Mohdata.
Ex-pats who followed the laws in their homeland out of fear of being caught and punished for breaking them quickly discover that such a fear is unwarranted in Qatar.
We all know where the fixed speed cameras are, and we all know that we are never going to get caught for talking on mobile phones or driving recklessly.
Relying on people to 'do the right thing' because it's safe (and not because they are afraid of punishment) doesn't work with people who are totally convinced that they are unbreakable.
there's no need to single out any particular demographic..there is a 'desert driver' belonging to every single nationality present in qatar, aussies included..and there is a civilized and responsible driver from each of those nationalities too.
The simple fact is that many of the locals have never had a formal driving lesson, let alone any serious road safety testing in either writing or driving so what do you expect on Qatar roads!??
I have it from the horses mouth that most locals learn to drive in the desert and you all know what type of driving that is... think about it... do you think they still drive like that on the roads?? Oh YEAH! :(
So a large part of the solution is to enforce (again that word!) driving lessons and testing for the locals.
Bet you would see a huge difference in driving styles then!
No harm in wishing and hoping I guess! :(
This video should be published in public places, for awareness and get the people awake and realize,those not trained to do those dangerous things!!!!!!!
nope the alternative will take a bit longer..it will eventually happen but will take time..saw the ISF guys pulling over any and all cars in the west bay area few days back, aston martin and f-type included..meanwhile, yup, the Kia is a start:-)
Its not speed that causes majority of accidents.
Lets look at the driving skills or lack of planning ahead.
Sure nice straight roads empty of traffic can be safe.
cutting lanes without looking arrogance and impatience of drivers flashing headlamps pushing car in front.
heaven knows if anyone here is taught braking distances.
there's always an accident in some shape or form every day some fatal! drivers slow down have a look when they're clear of mess speed up and drive like morons again.
remember accident don't just happen THEY ARE CAUSED
The only solution is to put HUGE ROAD SPEED HUMPS every 100 meters all over Qatar roads..:)
I have already sent my Pink KIA for detuning ..
It is the best solution and guaranteed to save lives.. Alternatively, we could ask the police to be more vigilant and enforce the rules whilst punishing the culprits..
the roads are not dangerous,. it's the majority of the drivers who are dangerous either for themselves or for the traffic around them,..
-train driving skills better
-enforce traffic rules/laws
-create a safety aware driving culture
They should stop labourers getting driving licences, that would sort it out.
They can have all the road rules that they want but unless they are actually enforced nothing will change.
no no no no please no!!!!..remove that comment before someone sees it..oh lord please do not let that ever happen no!!!
Its not the roads, its the drivers who drive fast with fast cars that travel and reach highspeeds , there were lots of precaution signs in this two lane road but still those and some drivers ignore them. They only learn when accidents do happen or their demise finally comes.
i believe the single most useful measure the state can take is to set up easily accessible and affordable motorsport (QRC doesn't count) facilities for enthusiasts..we need to face the fact that the middle east as a culture, is shot through with the love of speed..accordingly, provide them a safe place to indulge that passion..i have grown up in the Gulf too, am absolutely crazy about cars/driving and it takes me all of my self restraint to not drift round every corner or max my car on the highways..if only the state could setup a circuit/track with open track days for all people/cars..lusail has track days but has become an ultra exclusive domain for the rich and grown up supercar crowd.
Here's a wheeze of an idea. Put electronic speed limiters on all cars imported into Qatar.. Max speed 70KPH
In order to have an effective check on the over speeding drivers, a mobile Radar team can do the surprise checking job in an excellent manner.
The single largest reason of Car accidents in Qatar is the "Higher Speed Limit". Cutting down the limit by further 20% only (on the accident prone roads) would ensure major reduction in the accidents.
Moreover, a complaint cell for traffic over speeding to be launching where the eye witnesses could call up and complain about the speeding vehicle or dangerous drivers.
The above two factors have the definite potential to cut the accident ratio by 50%.