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Hisham Al-Jundi
Doha
Changes to traffic law will be made soon to improve road safety and reduce fatalities from accidents, Head of Traffic Department Brigadier Mohammad Saad al Kharji has said.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of a press conference at the Traffic Department headquarters, Kharji said some amendments to the traffic law are being made to improve road safety.
He said penalties for passengers sitting in the back seats without fastening seat belts is under study.
In many cases, he said, fatalities are usually caused due to seat belts not being fastened even in minor car crashes. This must be legislated first before being applied in the near future, he added.
On the new"Black Spots" system, Kharji said areas recording the highest number of accidents such as road crossings and commercial streets will be monitored for developing solutions.
He said 14 new pedestrian bridges will be built in coordination with Public Works Authority (Ashghal) at"Black Spots' to reduce accidents on roads.
Pedestrians who do not use the designated bridges will invite fines on their ID numbers, Kharji said.
The change in speed limits on some roads such as the E Ring Road will be made soon for greater convenience of motorists.
He urged motorists to drive below the speed limit when passing through commercial areas.
Using cell phones while driving is a violation of traffic law, nevertheless, policemen won't issue violations for those making urgent calls after stopping at red signals.
"We always urge motorists not to use their cellphones while driving, but if someone receives a very urgent call while on a red signal, that is not considered a violation," Kharji said.
Meanwhile, driving schools will be subjected to new modifications to comply with the traffic standards.
Kharji said booklets used at driving schools will be replaced with new ones to create more traffic awareness among new motorists. New measures will also be undertaken such as urging schools to provide different types of cars.
"A new motorist who had been trained on a small saloon car can't actually drive an SUV, so we will coordinate with the driving schools to start using different types of cars for trainees," Kharji noted.
Kharji expressed his satisfaction over the decline of road accident fatalities and accidents despite increase in population and vehicles on roads.
