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Doha, Qatar: Measures taken by the General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior have helped reduce the number of traffic accidents in Sealine area significantly, said an official.
“The ambulance service also covers Sealine area where the number of accidents have reduced drastically,” said Assistant Executive Director of Emergency Healthcare Coordination for HMC Ambulance Service, Abdulaziz Alyafei.
Speaking to Qatar TV recently, he said last year about 14 ambulance vehicles were deployed at Sealine, which has been reduced to eight this year because the number of accidents went down due to restrictions made by the Ministry of Interior’s General Directorate of Traffic.
“Earlier, Sealine alone witnessed one or two accidents during weekend apart from those in other parts of the country related to traffic accidents or other types of injuries,” said Alyafei.
He said the Ambulance Service receives from 800 to 900 calls requesting for ambulance daily. “The number of calls are growing every year amid population growth and ambulance service response to all types of calls including patients and accidents,” said Alyafei.
Speaking in the same programme, Assistant Director of Traffic Awareness Department at General Directorate of Traffic, Colonel Jaber Mohamed Odaiba said efforts are continuing to educate young people about the dangers of speeding and for protecting all road users.
“The traffic strategy aims at protecting all segments of the society including motorists, passengers and pedestrians with special focus on young motorists,” said Odaiba.
He said that the directorate issues driving licenses to youngsters only when they meet the minimum age requirement.
“Young motorists holding driving licenses can show their driving skills as car racing sports at designated places which are available in Qatar, but not on roads,” said Odaiba.
He said schools and community can also play their roles in educating youngsters about driving safely for their safety as well as others'. About three months ago in December 2023, Qatar National Trauma Registry data revealed that 29 patients required ambulance transportation for ATV-related injuries at the Sealine or Mesaieed area since the camping season began in November.
More than 75 percent of these injuries occurred on a Friday as a result of a rollover to a rider who had no protective gear. More than half of these suffered from moderate to severe injuries that required treatment at the Hamad Trauma Center. The Hamad Injury Prevention Program is encouraging every rider, driver and their families to be aware of the “Know Before You Go” safety tips and recommendations to stay safe on their quad bikes or all-terrain vehicles [ATVs] during this year’s camping season.
