Fewer traffic violations were issued to Qatar motorists in July, but the number of road accidents rose during that month, according to new government statistics.
The number of people injured and killed, however, remained relatively constant.
In July, recorded traffic violations fell 30.4 percent month-over-month to 124,230, states the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics’ monthly statistics bulletin. Year-over-year comparisons are not yet available, as officials only began releasing monthly statistics in 2014.
The lower number of traffic violations could indicate that more motorists have been obeying road rules. Or it could be due to a dip in the population, which fell by 11 percent in July, to 1.91 million residents.
But another possibility is that authorities opted to issue fewer tickets during the month of July, when government working hours were shortened during Ramadan.
Some of the July figures released include (compared to June figures in parentheses):
- Traffic fatalities: 15 (16)
- Cases of serious injuries sustained in vehicle accidents: 66 (62)
- Cases of minor injuries sustained in vehicle accidents: 565 (593)
- Minor traffic accidents: 355 (350)
- Major traffic accidents: 49 (36)
Residents have previously called for stricter enforcement of traffic rules to improve road safety in Qatar. Over the last year, the government appears to have moved in that direction by creating a dedicated highway patrol unit and installing radar cameras to catch speeders.
Additionally, the government is looking at making several roadways across the country safer by modifying designs as well as stepping up education efforts for local youngsters before they are old enough to drive.
Here’s a copy of the full statistics report:
Thoughts?
