An 18-year-old Qatari man who had no driver’s license or car insurance may now face criminal charges in connection with the deaths of five Filipinos after a car accident near Hamad International Airport over Eid Al Adha.
A traffic department report shared by the Philippines ambassador with local media stated that the unnamed man was found to be driving with “excess speed, driving with no license (and) causing the death of more persons.”
The young man’s Land Cruiser smashed into a family’s Nissan Pathfinder as it was parked on the side of the road on the Corniche-Al Wakrah highway on Oct. 6.
The Nissan then burst into flames, burning the passengers inside.
The tragedy sparked a heated debate among residents on social media about road safety in Qatar, with many asking what it would take for authorities to crack down on bad drivers.
Speaking to the Peninsula, Ambassador Crescente Relacion also said the speeding driver’s car insurance had also expired on Aug. 6 – two months before the accident.
Moreover, the driver had racked up 44 traffic violations in the 13 months from Aug. 22, 2013 to Sept. 26, 2014, Relacion said, quoting details from the Ministry of Interior’s General Administration of Traffic report on the incident.
Incident
Bencris Rivera (36), his wife Joycelyn Torres Rivera (38) and one year-old son Arclian Zirc Torres Rivera were killed in the accident, along with two friends of the child’s aunt – Saudi residents Marilou Cal (24) and Joyce Gelli (27).
The family had been taking a tour of Doha and had stopped in a short-term parking bay on the highway to view the new airport. They were getting back into the car when it was hit from behind by the Land Cruiser.
According to the MOI’s report, the Pathfinder was thrown 104 meters down the road from the impact of the collision, while its passengers were still inside.
The Pathfinder then hit a curb, which caused the vehicle to burst into flames.
The five Filipinos died at the scene. The child’s aunt, Suzette Rivera-Baclor, was thrown from the car but survived the accident with injuries. The accident report notes:
“Driver A (the indictee) was driving his vehicle near Hamad International Airport towards East sticking to left track of road.
(The driver) hit with front cabin of his vehicle B (where the victims were) which was on the side road thereby it led to fringing of both vehicles to a distance of 104 metres approximately continuing to left side once again hitting to curbs leading to smoldering of vehicle B with five persons inside who died on the spot and injury of the other one inside the smoldered vehicle.
The indictee driver had some injuries and was given aid by Hamad Emergency. It was found that the indictee driver had no driving licence and the accident triggered the abovementioned damages.”
Bodies repatriated
Relacion confirmed that the bodies of all five deceased have now been repatriated. The body of Joyce Geli was returned to the Philippines on Friday, while the bodies of the other four were sent back the day before.
Before the repatriation, a relative of Bencris from the US and two brothers of Jocelyn from the Philippines had traveled to Qatar to process paperwork including insurance claims and lease agreements for the victims’ accommodation and cars, the Peninsula reported.
Relacion said: “They want to seek justice, meaning whatever punishment the law provides for the person concerned should be meted to out to the person.”
He added that the embassy has appointed a lawyer to assist the family with the criminal aspects of the case.
According to Qatar law, the family of each of the deceased will receive QR200,000 in blood money (compensation). They also have the option to file further civil damages on top of that amount.
The Philippine Ambassador also called on the government to launch a road safety campaign.
“I also hope that the MoI would launch a vigorous campaign that would really inculcate the culture of safety among the public,” he told Gulf Times.
The embassy did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Doha News.
Thoughts?
No driving license, insurance expired, 44 violations in one year, and an accident that caused 5 deaths.
I think a lifetime sentence is the appropriate punishment for this guy.
I usually don’t agree with you, but on this one, I do.
and his parents in rehab!!!
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
No need. I have done a deal with the MOI to have him in a locked room for 30 minutes with me and a baseball bat.
Oh, did anybody notice a difference while driving after this accident ?
i.e: less aggressive driving, or fewer tail gating , or lane swinging?
I don’t remember reading or seeing something about this tragedy in local TV or news papers ( somebody correct me please if any ). Highlighting such case may give a hint to some driving maniacs that their NEED FOR SPEED style is not a game.
It was in the Peninsula today. (English version)
Doha New recently reported that the Ministry of Interior purchased the following at a single Milipol conference:
39 firefighting vehicles and rescue equipment (QR94.5 million);
474 MOI vehicles (QR52.8 million);
Network infrastructure and related programs (QR38.5 million);
Development and maintenance of an Airbus Defense & Space communications system (QR36.6 million);
20 search and rescue boats (QR34 million);
A deal with Salam Security for several surveillance systems and programs (QR22.4 million);
Smart ID cards (QR9.9 million);
11 traffic radars and 10 truck weigh bridges (QR3.8 million).
Yet here we have a driver who has racked up 44 violations in a year and the police did nothing to catch him. Rather than buying more toys, why not try enforcing the law?
You really can’t though. What if the driver was a Shiekh, God forbids. We all know that Shiekhs are like Gods dressed in white. Do you have any idea what a Shiekh can cause for the poor police officer if God forbids the officer tries to even stop him or attempts to arrest him?
Enforcing the law fairly will never take place in Qatar. At least not for the few decades to come.
This is outrageous! This “driver” is no different from the murderer of the British teacher! I say he deserves same punishment (if ever it will happen!). People’s lives are worthless in this country!
In a related story the Qatar Government has just annouced their new ambassador to Paris. A spokeman said, ‘Yes I know that some people feel that an 18 year old does not have the experience to hold such a prestigious post but we believe in giving youth a chance. It is important that we develop the Human Resources of Qatar in the view of the 2030 vision. . As this is such a critical time for Qatar/France relations he will not be returning to Qatar for five years. I can also confirm he will be provided a car and a driver for the duration of the posting’
Seriously? I can’t believe an 18 year old would be appointed ambassador by any country anywhere
I was being satrical, but it seems the best way in Qatar to avoid justice….
Oh sorry, I normally enjoy a good pisstake myself, but after being taken seriously too many times I’m now the same!
Qualifications don’t matter. Connections do. So it wouldn’t be out of the question.
Everything is possible in Qatar, if you are a Qatari.
Rofl.
But why France? Why not Belgium?
Oh wait….not so easy.
44 violations! At what point do violations become enough for the police to reach out to the owner of the vehicle? Maybe the deaths could have been prevented if the vehicle was sought out and seized, at which point the lack of insurance would also have come up. Fines are useless, bold statements are useless, they just need to do some good old fashioned police work. Anything less than life in jail would be a joke.
How was this person even allowed to be driving after 44 traffic offences in one year, that’s almost 1 per week. Clearly, there needs to be a system that highlights repeat offenders and punishments given out, a driving ban could well have saved the lives of this family, although, I’m not sure that a ban would even be enforced. What are the authorities waiting for? How bad do the roads need to be before actual enforcement is brought in?
A steep learning curve for the traffic department on monitoring violations. Or not. This human missile should have been removed from the wheel 40 offences ago.
Then there’s the infamous plate number 1001. I just did a violations search on that vehicle and, lo and behold, there are fines totaling over QR10,000 on it. This, after it had over QR100,000 in the spring, which somehow mysteriously disappeared. Hmm. Funny how that works. This vehicle hasn’t had a violation since July though, so I wonder if it’s been wrecked.
No that is one a week. He was obviously away for two months in the summer.
Probably terrorizing the residents in Knightsbridge, London.
There needs to be a complete overhaul of the whole system. I don’t know for sure but I don’t think Qatari’s even have to sit a driving test. In all the years I have been here I have never seen a Qatari in a learners car. In a country where young people often have access to big powerful cars there is a real need to teach people how to drive properly. It is not your right as an 18 year old to be driving around, you have to earn that right by proving that your are capable of driving safely.
Where I’m from, once you get your learner’s license (after writing the written test) you have to wait 12 months before passing your FIRST driving test. You then get a heavily restricted license for 2 more years, before sitting a further driving test to get a full, unrestricted license. And if you get a motorcycle, you are restricted on engine size until you have a given amount of driving experience, or you are above 21 (I think). These are systems that put safety over convenience, and while it could be argued that it is overkill, it has seen a significant reduction of traffic accidents.
Not sure Qatar has the desire to pursue a system like this, or anything really that might inconvenience their unlicensed, uninsured, kids with their entitlement mentality.
correction: Qatari’s do have to sit a driving test! We have to acknowledge that the government is working hard to ensure road safety. the issue is not the law, the core issue is parents and there big role in teaching their kids to act responsibly and not put other people’s lives in danger. I feel very sad for the death of the family, may they rest in peace. But I also feel sad for this kid who has a huge burden on his heart for the rest of his life for killing a whole family. personally I wouldn’t want to go on living. it states in the article that this guy didn’t even have a licence. And for a male at 18 years old in Qatar, that is kind of weird. Seems to me like the police took his licence away from him before for smthng else he did..
From the attitude I see in Doha the only “burden” he will have is the inconvenience of not having his license for…oh wait, he didn’t have one to begin with. The general feeling I see here is since he didn’t get seriously injured all’s good.
How is the issue not the law? 44 violations. And the car is still on the road. And it was unlicensed. Surely 44 violations is a clear indication of a driver out of control. Should the law not deal with that even before it gets to this stage, to investigate what’s happening and who’s committing all the violations? I agree parents have a key role, but the law is there to remove excuses, so that regardless of what parents do, how kids behave, there is still a safety net that will put a stop to dangerous behavior before it’s too late. Parents can be dealt with in parallel, but the law must come first. And believe me parents will fall in line quickly when they see the legal consequences of their kids actions and their own inaction.
yes you are right. Qatar is growing really fast and the number of cars on the road these days is staggering. They do have to step up their game but we have to admit that the huge change happening in the country is overwhelming.
Agreed, it’s a huge challenge and there is constant change, I just hope they are able to prioritize better, i.e. more focus on enforcement and less on buying new tech, which while great does less to tackle serious issues vs enforcement. For example new advanced speed cameras will catch more offenders, but that won’t get them off the road. New handheld devices will speed up the process of dealing with an incident but it will not try to prevent it. Some decisions are cheaper and easier, but much more inconvenient. Tow cars, impound them, ban drivers temporarily. If it hurts it will generate change in behavior.
they’ve been overwhelmed since before the huge change happened.
The laws exist – enforcement is, as ever, the issue.
You are right! Maybe we should blame his nanny for His upbringing!
The day I took my driving test I saw a Qatari man bully his son to the front of the line, watched the son knock over half the traffic cones, then the father bullied the guy at the window until his son walked away with a license. I personally have no respect for the fact that Qataris also have to take the test.
Ya you have people like that.. and that is wrong on all levels.. but please don’t generalise
Not generalizing, just sharing an experience. There’s a major problem with a system that allows that (and the unfortunate event in the article) to happen. No doubt those two things are related.
“But I also feel sad for this kid who has a huge burden on his heart for the rest of his life for killing a whole family”
Perhaps you are assuming too much here…
Exactly, it was only a couple of slaves he killed, who cares…that will be the attitude.
Are yoy for real????!!!!!!!!
I just have no words… It truly breaks my heart even more.
“An 18-year-old Qatari man who had no driver’s license or car insurance MAY now face criminal charges …”
My guess? This sleazebag pays off a little cash and WALKS.
44 violations with no license. Why did the authorities wait for 5 people to die? Filing criminal charges ONLY against the driver, seems to me to be insufficient if we are aiming at finding real responsibilities. How many more of these drivers are being “allowed” on the streets of Qatar?
the authorities close one eyes and let him go….did I say one eye? They actually closed both!!!!!!!!!!!! Shame on them
So the driver doesn’t hold a license. Is the person who let him use the vehicle going to be prosecuted? As far as I am aware all vehicles must be registered under a person with a license. This person who let him use the vehicle after 44 violations ( assuming its by the 18 year old ) seems equally culpable.
No campaign will ever fix the driving issues here. They need more traffic police on the roads who are empowered to deal with violations irrespective of the nationality of the violator.
A car can be registered under any person’s name.
Any person? As in without a license? That is not what I was told by the traffic police/car showroom.
Form filled in Arabic, ID copy, insurance+copy… Never a license…
So, who is more to blame? The stupid little moron who thought it was his right to drive without a license, risking other people’s lives? His parents, whom I’m sure were well aware of his habits? Or the police, who stood idly by as 44 violations were recorded without any punishment?
Seems clear to me it’s hard to crash a car that’s currently impounded or has been crushed. Shame the authorities prefer to wait for someone to die before they consider saving lives!
Firstly…my condolences to the family, friends and love ones of those who died. This teenager should be charged for the murder and if found guilty..imprisoned for life. His parents being the legal guardians should also be held responsible and be charged for abetting the killing of innocent people. The parents should not be allowed of the hook … they are just as guilty as the teenager. Lastly … since this is DN and articles published are in relation to Qatar; it might see as if most are gunning for Qatar BUT we must also accept that such incidents are not only confined to Qatar. Such tragic killings occur daily everywhere.
You are very correct here Parwaiz. Young drivers, particularly males, are at high risk due to their relative inexperience when driving and lack of sound judgement and this is reflected in traffic statistics worldwide. The difference appears to be that in other countries the ongoing traffic violations would have been red flags that alerted authorities of the ongoing risky behaviour and that person would probably have faced court and some form of punishment to try and deter them from committing other offences. This case attracted a lot of media attention but I often wonder how many Qatari youths kill (or seriously injure) themselves and their friends with this type of bad driving but it appears to go unreported by the local media.
Recently received SMS from HMC , an urgent call to donate blood ,specially A+ group.
Road accidents remain the first cause of death in Qatar.
I too am puzzled how he has 44 violations in 13 months and no proactive action taken by the authorities. And the result of their inaction has lead to the death of people. A truly sad and tragic incident.
What would have happened or what would the justice be if it was an expat killing a Qatari family of five after making 44 traffic violations?
Out of curiosity, I’ll just wait for further update regarding JUSTICE BEING SERVED. BTW, does this ring the bell for Villageo tragedy?
I assume that the driver might get away by claiming he was a minor ( by
the time of the accident ), hence a REDUCED punishment MAYBE applied,
and the same goes if he was claimed to be MENTALLY UNSTABLE.
How will this case be handled if the victims ( may god forbid ) were residents ?
Besides,
nothing will change unless law is equally enforced, regardless
violator’s nationality or status ( how I wish ). This takes
sufficient,well trained manpower.But until then, how can we stay safe on the roads while driving carefully in our regular, non SUV cars??
Our prayers for the victims…may their souls rest in peace.
The parents must have known. He must have been driving illegally with their knowledge. Did they even buy him the LG and register it in his name? Are they jointly culpable? How can the Qatari youth have any sense of what is right or wrong when the older generation sets such an appalling example, and how can can anyone be surprised that the expat community who generally live in fear of the law in Qatar have so little respect for Qatari culture and values?
This is absurd, how can someone have broken so many laws and still not be criminally liable for negligent homicide?
Outrageous this driver was on the road and I agree with the sentiments expressed. I hope justice is served on this reckless man and authorities look at their system, that many violations and nothing is done?? In a related note, I drove passed this exact site 10 days ago and saw a school bus parked in the very same shoulder and all the kids off the bus looking at the fountain and watching the planes with 2 chaperones. Someone in their infinite wisdom thought a high speed road would be an excellent place for 30 school kids to site see. Really??
I have always found it interesting that the main method of traffic enforcement is cameras. Traffic cameras, while a deterrent to some to varying degrees, do not stop the dangerous behavior. And they don’t seem to deter deep pocketed locals. Having a fine posted days does not stop dangerous speeds at the time. The cameras don’t catch the maniacal lane swervers or the kamikaze tailgaters in their Land Cruisers.
And the cameras are dangerous. We have all seen someone slam on the brakes when spotting a camera – even if they were already below the speed limit (my personal biggest pet peeve) Like some odd reflex. And after a camera you have free reign to speed until the next one, since the police won’t do anything about it.
They can go on fining a driver doing 90 in an 80 when nobody is around, when there is no real dangerous behavior. It is a fine earned, yes. But why the continued tolerance of flat out combat driving – the intimidation, tailgating, driving on the shoulders, slaloming across lanes, etc? This must change.
And they continue to withhold this guy’s name? An expat driver’s name and image would be well publicized, for certain.
“kamikaze tailgaters in their Land Cruisers”. Thats wrong isnt it, these LC drivers dont die usually after a collision?! do they?
The number of traffic violations is ridiculous, I just can’t comprehend. He was looking for someone to kill with that record.
On the other hand, the cars parking on the side of the highway next to airport are very dangerous. If there is need for a picnic area then it should not be there. Last time I was flying from the airport I thought there was an accident but it was a long line of cars with their flashers and people just hanging around.
The hard shoulder is there for vehicles who are stopped. Agreed it shouldn’t be used for sightseeing, however, it could just as easily have been a breakdown or a flat tire. The hard shoulder is NOT for driving in, either safely, or as in this, case like a maniac.
The head of the traffic department should have to answer for this too…
I would expect a public apology and resigning in disgrace for failing to protect the public from this menace would be a good start.
This is not just an accident due to reckless driving, it is rather a LICENSE TO KILL – pun intended.
All acts like tail gating, lane switching, and texting while driving are nothing but an attempt to murder. I’ve been driving a car for the last 14 years, and from my experience I can say with full confidence that we are on our own. We need to protect our selves,and not rely on police for law enforcement. The question remains….HOW ?
His position is a peer voted position. This is not like say in my country where the position is advertised looking for a bad a#%ed commissioner with proven track records in bringing stats down. This man, is voted in by very powerful local tribes and well, who wants to upset the very people who got you in, bite the hand who feeds you.
The land of corruption.
I am speechless. 44 violations? Unlicensed? This driver racked up a new violation, on average, every 8-10 days for the past year. Who was pressing the ‘override’ button at MOI??
MOI should have this law…after 2(serves as warning) or 3 violations (in any form),, the driver should be ban for driving in Qatar…
because they have money they can just get away with it so easily.. if i am the family of the victim,,, he needs to pay it with his life… money cant buy persons life… reckless driving resulting multiple homicide…and just give 200k per person.. eat your money… you never learn and never will…
Even if the driving license was confiscated, a person can still drive a car. While driving, how often do you or any driver get informed to show your driving license?
It is so unfortunate that this LC missile hit a family of five and killed them instantly, but how many times we ( all drivers in smaller cars or pedestrians ) are very close to that fate?
NEVER!!! You are so wrong on every point- you cannot drive without a license, it’s illegal and no responsible person would do so. I have been stopped and asked to show my license and ID simply because I was lost and had exited the highway onto a side road which turned out to be private ( no signs). Unfortunate is a strange choice of words. Criminal, reckless, arrogant, are words that would seem more appropriate. Personally, never having driven down a hard shoulder, I have never been ‘close to that fate’, but have been almost forced off the road on countless occasions, had LC drivers practically in my back seat travelling at 120, and had drivers attempting to force me into the path of another car in their frenzy to get past.
First, I agree with you that ( unfortunate ) was not the most suitable word.
Second, I know it is against the law to drive without the driving license in hand, but do you think those MURDERES do actually care?
Dont you notice teens inside their LC and pushing other drivers “almost forced off the road” ? Do they have a driving license?
Third,let me ask you
whats the ratio of traffic police vs drivers on the road?
If it was high enough, many drivers will simply avoid main roads or certain roundabouts, where usually traffic police have a spot check on driving license and road permit.
personally, it was very rare, less than once a year !!!
I have yet to be ever stopped or asked for my license by the traffic police in my 7 years of driving here.
true… you can drive safely with or without license,,, my point was for those drivers who got caught for violating road safety’s… whats the use of license if you drive so recklessly. one basis is the murderer… 44 violations?? MOI should’ve have done better here… or they just keeping a blind eye because its a local brat..
If you were caught violating traffic rules, you simply get a ticket…nothing serious for most of careless drivers. What makes this even worse is that, you can get stopped by police many times, and then let go with a ticket ( think of collect and win ! ). How on earth this driver managed to make 44 violations and still drive?….simple…once you go for car permit renewal, all you need to do is to pay the penalties, once done….khalas…viola…good to go ! and this is the weakness of ………..It is simply a matter of collecting penalties ( which can be waived or over ridden if you know what I mean ) which is far below law enforcement. Even if skip road permit renewal, and continue driving your car while having tens of penalties and not holding a driving license…you can get away with it until a traffic police stops you ( which is very rare as I mentioned before ). This murderer is only one among many others ( under the shadow ) who are gambling with our lives !
Is that QAR200,000 blood money for each family or QAR200,000 for each person killed? Because seriously, USD730,000 for killing a whole family just doesn’t seem to be payment enough. Blood money payment plus lifetime in jail seems fair.
Honestly, I’m more worried about the criminal prosecution. If this crime was punished as it should, we may eventually have a slight hope for safer driving.
While what needs to be said has been said, I just want to add my comment that this terrible tragedy must bring about serious change to ensure at last strict enforcement, prosecution and punishment happens.
Just today I saw a CHILD behind the wheel of a large SUV (not the first time I’ve seen a child behind the wheel). Traffic was being directed at Slope r/a when the child driver and I pulled up next to each other. We were the first vehicles in our respective lanes. At one point, the officer was less than 2 feet from the child driver’s window. The officer then walked in front of all the vehicles at the head of each lane, giving each of the drivers the “point/palm-of-the-hand” gesture to underscore the fact that we were to stay in place. But guess who made a run for it?? Yep, as soon as the officer moved aside the kid gunned the engine and fish-tailed into the oncoming traffic, narrowly missing one of the enormous trucks coming off Huwar Street. If a traffic officer is not empowered to stop a vehicle driven by a child (even for the sole sake of the child), then what can we really expect for the future of road safety?!? Even as I type this I am listening to the high-speed racers driving out of West Bay and toward the Pearl.