No Arabic Knowledge: Beware of Traffic Police
Our car was hit from behind in Corniche. Lucky, there was a police patrol officer who could understand english and told the other car driver that he was at fault. Then we were asked to wait for the traffic police. When the traffic police arrived they listened to the offender who was an arabic man. The traffice police could not undertand english. They were also least bothered to listen to us or to consult the patrol police officer. They asked us to speak in arabic or french!!. With least respect for justice they wrote that we are at fault as the other arabic speaking person must have distorted the story. I asked him for an appeal to the higher authorities but no one bothered to listen to us.
Beware of the Qatar traffic police if you are not an Arabic speaking person...
You really think this is a language issue? If police officer doesn't bother to find a way to hear the both sides regardless the language they're speaking (it could also be Swahili) then most probably he wouldn't believe to his side of story anyway, even if he could understand him.
Couldn't it be an Arabic/non-Arabic issue?
Well, if the things get this ugly, I believe the only solution is getting a lawyer and not signing anything you don't understand before talking to him.
thanks for that great info.. my friend had similar situation and the other guy distorted the accident story.. he cudnt do anything as the traffic officer only speaks arabic...
the r cops who speaks english, you can demand it if the officer cant speak english, but you gotta first try to make him understand if not then u ask him politely to bring somebody who can understand english
Perhaps this is Qatar, however, there are ways of getting your rights here - seems to me that the advice of leaving the country rather than take a stand about an accident is pretty weak. If it is not his fault he will get his rights he may have a great deal of discussion for it but he will finally get there.
The Traffic Police System is new here and it will take time to develop the system, but they are trying to improve for everybodies benefit, give this country a chance and don't be so negative.
I am talking from experience as I had an accident too and managed to get my rights with a great deal of discussion.
Then we have the language problem - if we can't handle it ask someone to help.
(US stay in Iraq) I don't understand the connection to the traffic accident.
You could go to all the trouble of talking to the Captain. You could waste hours on top of hours. Worse thing the stress. OR you accept it, just the price you pay to live in OZ here. You have the high salary, maid, no morgage.....and you have to pay for a Middle Eastern individual who hits your car from behind. Your in Qatar, next I'm going to hear the U.S. should stay in Iraq. I agree its not your fault but....You want whats fair, you want consistency, your want ques that run smoothly, then get a airline ticket and adios my friend.
yeah, but i never heard about tunisian, algerian, morrocan or lebanese police man !!!
As to speaking Arabic, if it is not your first language,it best not to argue with anyone in your second language.
Whoever bangs your car from rear is at fault this is Qatari Law
You shouldnt have moved your car, now you can go to main div. with someone who can speak arabic and fight, dont let him bully you he should be fined first.And Ahmed even if you learn conversational Arabic you wont understand the local dialect.
Go to Central Security Division and tell them storey. if no one took care of you, just talk to your embassy.
What I'm sure of is that if anyone hits you from your back that's his fault.
well police men r not Lebanese, Tunisians or Moroccans DUH,
so they don't speak french
first of all they should teach all the traffic police English,
and why don't u learn arabic?
actually a lot of arabs speak french. Lebanese, Tunisians, Moroccans especially.
most of the peaple here don't know french....and for that police man to ask u if u speack arabic or french that is realy weired, anyway what i know here in qatar is that what ever was the situation, if somebody hits u from the back its his fault...
i dont know why they dont care about english, its an international language !
Fight it! This is normal and the patrol officers usually make the problem worse by asking you tomove your car then the traffic cops tell you you shouldn't have. If your a westerner you may when , but most times if it's arab against arab the Qatari always wins. This country no justice. Just us. United we stand and Allah be with you if youhave to go to the courts, I've been fighting a case for 5 years now.
remember
Don't sign anything you can't read
Yup...SL is right...I wouldn't let that one go. Fight it.
Go to the Central Security Division and tell the storey to the captain.