People love to complain about them, but make no mistake – Qatar’s speed cameras have saved many lives in the past four years.

That’s the finding of a new 10-year study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, who analyzed the nation’s traffic data between 2000 and 2010.

Road deaths were at an all-time high in 2006, with some 270 people losing their lives in traffic accidents. That number fell dramatically in 2007, when the majority of existing speed cameras were introduced.

In 2000, there were 14 cameras; by 2010, Qatar had outfitted its road with 84, researchers said.

Gulf Times reports:

Traffic death rates in Qatar reached an all-time high in 2006 with a figure of 26 per 100,000, compared to 5 to 10 per 100,000 in Western Europe and North America.

Results of the data collected after 2007 showed that serious car accident rates dropped to 15 per 100,000. According to the study, until 2007, nearly two-third of all trauma-related deaths in Qatar were caused by car accidents with three quarters of the victims under the age of 50…

The study found that non-fatal severe injury rates also declined, but mild injury rates increased, possibly due to increased traffic congestion and improved notification.

The study also said that some 25 percent of people driving in Qatar have been in road accidents. Seems a little low to me!

Do you have any speed camera or road accident stories? We’d love to hear ‘em.

Graphic courtesy of Qatar Behind the Wheel.