Driving schools to offer automatic lessons ‘soon’

Driving schools to offer automatic lessons ‘soon’

Published: GULF TIMES Saturday, 12 January, 2008, 01:54 AM Doha Time

By Nour Abuzant

DRIVING schools will “soon” start offering courses in vehicles with automatic transmission, Traffic and Patrols Department Director Col Mohamed Saad al-Kharji, has said.
Talking to Qatar Radio, he said the new classes were being introduced as most of the light vehicles in Qatar have now automatic transmission.
However, those who get licences after passing tests in automatic cars will not be allowed to drive vehicles with manual transmission, it is learnt.
According to Col Kharji, those taking driving lessons would have to sit an examination on the new traffic law as part of the procedure for getting a licence.
He said there was a 27% reduction in the number of casualties on Qatar’s roads because of the intensive awareness drive launched by his department. While 270 people died in road accidents in 2006, there were only 199 such deaths in 2007.
He said that based on the previous years’ figures, some people predicted a toll of about 325 deaths last year but “they proved wrong”.
Of the 199 casualties last year, most were pedestrians. Among the victims, 30% were nationals.
The director said his department aimed to bring down the casualty figures to the minimum possible.
He said the Traffic and Patrols Department had noticed a 30% drop in violations after the new traffic law was enforced on October 2, 2007.
Answering a question regarding the plying of heavy vehicles during rush hours on Doha’s roads, he said that many truck drivers had special permission for this from the department. “Such permission is given to meet the demands of urban development and we cannot avoid it.”
Col Kharji said that a surcharge of QR1 would be levied for each day if a traffic fine was not paid within 60 days from the date of its registration.
He said that on cases of jumping the red-light, the department could settle the violation with the motorist by accepting a payment of QR6,000.
“In case of severe injuries to humans or damage to property, the matter will be referred to court which will decide the fine ranging between QR10,000 and QR50,000,” he added.
“While considering the case, the court will take into consideration the circumstances of the violation and the previous record of the violator. The policeman would be summoned by the court and he would have to swear on the Holy Qur’an as a witness. If the motorist is found not guilty, he will be acquitted by the court.”
The Traffic Department chief said that policemen would not be allowed to report speed violations manually, but said that off-duty traffic policemen would “in very limited cases” be allowed to register violations by writing down the numbers of vehicles and without stopping the motorist on the spot.
The department would summon the violator the next day to explain the fine to him and if he protested, the matter could be referred to the court.
On the installation of radars near important traffic signals, the colonel said that they were aimed at catching “signal jumpers” and “speedsters” who cross the speed limit when the green light is on.
Most of the green lights would blink for four seconds before turning orange, and this gives motorists enough time to stop, he said.
He said that rental car companies should secure financial “guarantees” (such as cash deposits or credit cards) valid for a month from their customers who are in Qatar on short stay, “to ensure that they don’t escape to their countries, leaving behind heavy traffic fines”.
In all cases, the rent-a-car offices can know about such violations within 24 hours from their registration.
He denied “allegations” that his department had imposed heavy fines to collect more money from the public, saying that respect to human life was the driving force behind such policies.
Col Kharji said that the main office of the Traffic Department would be soon moved to a new well-equipped building.
On the establishment of a race track for the youth, he said that it was the responsibility of the Olympic Committee.