The stickers, banners and posters that customarily adorn many cars during Qatar’s National Day are illegal, traffic officials have said, reminding accessory shops to abstain from providing such decorations, the Peninsula reports.

Qatar will celebrate the unification of its country on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Because certain vehicle regalia makes it difficult for traffic police to identify a vehicle or its driver, “action will be taken” against shops and motorists found flouting the rules, a circular sent to accessory stores states. 

As National Day celebrations increase in scope and scale across the GCC, the UAE has also cracked down on motorists. 

When the country celebrated National Day on Sunday, police there issued strict vehicle guidelines, forbidding noisy accessories, the covering of the windshield or driver’s side window with decorations, carrying more than the permitted number of people and sticking body parts out of car windows or sunroofs. It also upped the fine for rule violators from Dh220 last year to Dh2,000 this year, the National reports.

It remains to be seen how far Qatar will go to crack down on National Day’s infamous evening celebrations, which in previous years have caused traffic snarls and left the streets littered with garbage.

Thoughts?

Credit: Top photo by Osama Saeed; second photo by Gordon