Mid-year stats show 21% drop in traffic violations

The number of traffic violations recorded in the first half of 2018 dropped by 21.1% compared to the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) Saturday.

A total of 830,318 traffic violations were detected and registered during the first six months of the year, data showed.Through posts on Twitter Saturday, the MoI also informed that the General Directorate of Traffic issued 39,345 new driving licences and registered 32,668 new vehicles between January and June this year.Meanwhile, the number of transactions carried out by the MoI as part of the services it provides to the public increased by 4.5% in the first half of this year compared to the corresponding period in 2017. In total, 49,084,450 service transactions were completed by the ministry between January and June. On an average, this translated to 8,180,742 transactions per month, or 272,691 per day.The statistics revealed that 1,441,767 transactions related to visa procedures were carried out in the first half of 2018, an increase of 10.7% compared to the same period last year.Also, a total of 3,468,101 transactions were completed at Expatriates Affairs Department and Unified Services Department centres in the first six months of the year.Further, the data showed that the Airport Passports Department successfully offered its services and eased travel procedures at Hamad International Airport for 6,956,731 travellers in the said period.The General Directorate of Civil Defence (GDCD) succeeded in putting out 916 fires, an increase of 14.5% compared to the first half of 2017. The average time taken by Civil Defence vehicles to arrive at an accident site was around seven minutes. The GDCD was able to carry out 576 rescue and relief operations involving car crashes, broken lifts and other types of cases during the first half of 2018.Meanwhile, the number of calls for helps and complaints dealt with by Al-Fazaa amounted to 22,758. Al-Fazaa also put up check points and carried out 725 search campaigns during this period to maintain security and stability around the country.The statistics also revealed that 37,452 transactions related to Qatari passports were carried out during this period, including 3,949 transactions related to the issuance of new Qatari passports. Pensioners and persons with special needs were exempted from paying MoI fees and charges. The total value of these exemptions was QR1,614,605, through 5,892 transactions.