Starting today, Qatar is planning to deploy police officers dressed as civilians to make sure drivers don’t overtake people from the right side of the road.

The move is a bid to improve road safety as schools officially open around the country, Capt. Saood Al Khater, the Traffic Department’s head of traffic flow, said on Twitter yesterday.

Using the “slow” right lane to overtake vehicles in the left lane is a traffic violation punishable by a QR500 ticket, but among one of many road rules commonly flouted by motorists here.

Last month, the Ministry of Interior rolled out a campaign to advise motorists against talking on their mobile phones while driving, which is also against the law.

The MOI is still working out how to enforce that rule, however, a spokesman told Doha News.

Has anyone witnessed police pulling over drivers today for passing on the right?

Credit: Photo by Abdullah Al-Shackarchi