Radars to detect mobile use, not wearing seatbelt from September 3

Traffic violations of not wearing seatbelt and using mobile phones while driving will face strict action with the General Directorate of Traffic all set to monitor and penalise these offences using the advanced radar system.The Ministry of Interior (MoI), Sunday posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account , that the directorate will start automated monitoring of these two violations from September 3.The unified radar system, which will detect the violations, is a move to boost traffic safety and reduce accidents.Acting Director General of Traffic Brig. Abdulaziz bin Jassim al-Thani told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the move came within the MoI's keenness to develop traffic systems in a way that meet and enhance safety requirements. "The General Directorate of Traffic will begin the soft activation of monitoring the aforementioned violations from next Sunday (August 27), through automated radar and Tala'a cameras, a week before the official activation date, with the aim of educating road users about these violations,” he said.SMS will be sent to alert violators but no fines will be collected before the actual activation date of September 3. He urged all road users to comply with the traffic law and its executive regulations to preserve lives and property, and contribute to the great efforts made by the various authorities, stressing that traffic safety is a joint responsibility of the society too.Starting from next week, MoI will launch a large-scale campaign on its social media accounts and all media outlets to promote traffic awareness among all segments of society.Using mobile phones while driving is a major cause of road accidents in Qatar. Careless driving due to mobile phone use, according to the figures from the General Directorate of Traffic, accounts for a major share of the total accidents. Earlier, a survey by the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Centre (QTTSC) at Qatar University found that of the 256 respondents, only 13% said they never used mobile phones for calls in their last 10 driving trips.Using or holding mobile phone or any other device in hand while driving or becoming busy watching any visual from the television set in the vehicle draws a penalty of QR500. The same penalty is applied if children below 10 are allowed to occupy the front seat. Avoiding seat belts while driving attracts a fine of QR500.While intensifying its efforts to bring down accidents and ensure road safety, the General Directorate of Traffic has so far deployed a fleet of patrol vehicles with latest cameras on Qatar's roads. With their highly efficient and advanced sensors, the vehicles are able to detect violations.The sensors can record violations while monitoring up to six tracks on roads. The live data is transferred to the National Command Centre. These new vehicles have been brought in as part of the initiatives of the General Directorate of Traffic to reduce road accidents and prevent violations. Most roads in Qatar are monitored through cameras installed as part of the Tala’a project as well as mobile cameras.