Cameras to catch seatbelt, mobile use violations soon: Traffic official

Doha: To curb the practice of not fastening seatbelts and using mobile phones while driving, the General Directorate of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior is all set to launch a new project designed to catch violators.

Colonel Mohamed Radi Al Hajri, Director of the Awareness and Information Department at the General Directorate of Traffic, has said that the work is currently underway to monitor not fastening seatbelts and using mobile phones while driving violations through Tala’a project.

Not using seatbelts and using mobile phones while driving are among the most common traffic violations committed by motorists.

Tala’a project which will use cameras installed at strategic locations of roads and roundabouts aims to monitor traffic violations of all kinds, such as not fastening seatbelt, talking on mobile phones while driving, wrong crossing, over-speeding, breaking red signal and other traffic violations that pose a threat to public safety on the road. In its experimental period, the project succeeded to seize 23 different traffic violations.

Speaking to Qatar TV, Colonel Al Hajri said the Department aims to register zero death accidents as there is no escape from traffic accidents “but our aim is to stop deaths in road accidents”.

“During the last ten years, there has been a gradual decrease in deaths per 100,000 cases. For example, the accident death rate for every 100,000 people in the State of Qatar in 2019 recorded 4.4 deaths, which is less than the global average, and now it is less” he said. Colonel Mohamed Radi Al Hajri noted: “In order to clarify the extent of this decline, we mention that in 2006 the death rate in traffic accidents was 15 cases per 100,000 people, but the Law No. 19 of 2007 emphasised the implementation of the law in terms of the legislative instrument and this resulted to curb accidents.”

He said: “You have to pay only 50 percent of the value of the violations if the payment is made during the first month of the violation and this emphasises that the Department’s goal is not to collect money.”

“The fine starts from QR500 to QR1000 for every 10 kilometers above the speed limit, but if the payment is made within 30 days 50% is reduced, but there are some traffic violations which are not included in this reduction offer and they are directly referred to the Public Prosecution,” Colonel Al Hajri added.