New Metrash2 accident reporting app finds many takers
Around 10 to 15 minor accidents are reported through the Ministry of Interior (MoI)'s Metrash2 service every day, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported.
Captain Saleh Rashid Al Dabaa, head of the traffic investigation section in the Madinat Khalifa Traffic Department, told the daily that more than 220 such accidents have been reported since the launch of the service earlier this month.
The official has stressed that reporting minor traffic accidents between two vehicles through this service plays a big role in giving traffic personnel more time to handle major accidents — which require their presence on the spot.
On August 1, the MoI had announced that those who meet with minor accidents on Qatar's roads can register the incident with the Traffic Department using the Metrash2 app.
The ministry had said in a statement that it expected the new service to reduce the time required for obtaining services and simplify procedures for the public.
The Arrayah report also points out that the service has been lauded by motorists for being a "convenient and time-saving" option. They say it takes a maximum of 10 minutes to report an accident and receive a confirmation message through this facility, without the need to visit the traffic department concerned or having to wait for traffic patrols to arrive and register a case.
The new service initially targets minor accidents, which involve two vehicles without any injuries to the passengers and the damage is limited to the vehicle.
To benefit from the service, a user should have a mobile phone connected to the Internet and equipped with working GPS.
When a minor road accident takes place between two vehicles, one of the parties involved can take four photographs of each vehicle (on the consensus of the two parties) and send them via Metrash2 to the Traffic Directorate investigation office.
The photographs, which should show the number plates of both vehicles, the site of the accident and the damaged parts, need to be uploaded through the user's Metrash2 account.
The sender will receive a notification SMS asking him/her to wait for another message on further procedures.
After verification, the party whose vehicle has been damaged due to the fault of the other (motorist) will receive a text message with instructions to go to the insurance company, while the party at fault will receive a message, giving him/her approval for vehicle repair.
The new service will be evaluated after a while and extended to accidents involving more than two vehicles in the future, Gulf Times had reported earlier.
Courtesy: gulf-times.com
