Shamal Highway Accident

Paul R
By Paul R

A terrible accident and unnecessary loss of life. My prayers are with the families.But what can be done to stop the next one?How many lives need to be lost before steps are taken to prevent these crimes?Because that’s what it is a crime! These crazy speeders are murdering the innocent.The general consensus is they may get a ticket, but know someone who will get them off.This needs to stop. Now.We need the authorities to stand up and educate these speeders. Enforce the fines, Ban them from driving, confiscate the car if extreme, make them re-sit the test, introduce a sticker for the vehicle saying “I am a ex-speeder, report me if you see me speeding” Something has to be done before another family is taken away.

 

By hyrcania• 2 Dec 2009 12:06
hyrcania

For start they have to bring the speed limit right down. To have a speed limit of around 100 on urban road is just unbeleivable! This is the speed for Motorways / Freeways in Europe and some other countries with such high standard in safety etc!!

The max. speed for these road in my opinion should not exceed 50 km/h.

I think they have to educate the people / police etc etc...... There should be heavy fine.

The list in order to improve the unnecessary loss of innocent people is endless!

Education is number 1.

ps. jackfrost....please take your hate somewhere else....you get good and bad people everywhere!

By anonymous• 1 Dec 2009 22:18
anonymous

This way only Arabs are on teh roads and they can kil themselfs and not hurt any of us. I hate driving on the roads with tehse PIG headded local drivers,,,,,,and teh women are just as bad, let them all kill themselfs. serves them right

Rules are a guideline for intelligent people, but they must be adhered to by idiots.

By taz626• 1 Dec 2009 21:48
taz626

PREVENTION is BETTER than CURE!!!

By anonymous• 6 Dec 2006 10:32
anonymous

Thank you again. Is not luck, It was Jesus telling me to slow down and be more careful. Hard learn lesson in driving. Except for the laceration of the seat belts, holding me for dear life, I felt like a miserable man in front of my ex-wife and daughter. Both were crying hard. It is real hard to tell and explain to your love ones. What happened?

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"

Gal. 4:16

By han19• 6 Dec 2006 10:09
han19

alhamdullilah dvargas that you never got hurt in these accidents.

my signature is drive safe bcos i truly believe in it and if even one person reads my posting and reads the signature it will remain in their mind.

read in the paper yesterday that a nurse died in a hit and run accident...very sad.

happy heart

drive safe cos someone is waiting for u at home

By anonymous• 6 Dec 2006 02:53
anonymous

Thank you Novita. Trust me in this one. I'm a very careful driver. Do I have nine Lives? Yes I do. I'm always praying Jesus for a safe trip and those around me.

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"

Gal. 4:16

By novita77• 5 Dec 2006 22:29
novita77

You must be have 9 lives like cat. Please be careful on your journey. Never been to any bad crash ... (touch wood)... but i don't know for how long. As you know driving in Doha really like a russian roullet (spelling???) ... It will just about time before someone hit you from somewhere. Regardless how careful you are :-(

By anonymous• 5 Dec 2006 20:58
anonymous

It was a white peugeot totally destroyed, Head on collision with a toyota truck. The good thing about it was that passengers and driver survived the wreck on both cars. I believe thanks to the crushing points and air bags deployed. Other wise it would be catastrophic.

The bad scenery: the mother and 5 kids sitting in the curb numb and latent of the impact.

For Allah's sake when in DOHA is the law to be in force in full power with check points, real police actions and a responsible drivers in the road. Freaking zoo of death.Scares the hell out of me every-time I see those stupid accidents.

Sorry ladies for my language. But I'm a survivor of 3 wrecks in my 30 years driving.

1 of them in a intersection, one guy hit me in a green light in a right turn signal in the right side door side.

One snow and ice slide going at 20 miles per hour in my neighborhood, I hit my neighbors brick wall straight down hill with tire snow chains. Coming from a 4 alarm fire emergency and 16 hours of non stop work.

The other one it was my bad calculations, Full stop in a left turn corner in the city a yellow taxi nick my right side fender. Did not saw him at all.

and yes my insurance Sky rocket. No more accidents since them. Knock in wood for good luck and a good drivers prayer every time I drive.

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"

Gal. 4:16

By han19• 3 Dec 2006 19:52
han19

on the right track momo.

its really sad to have heard about the accident.

a few years back it was really common to see guys act funny around cars which would be transporting the local girls...this is when local girls cud not get license that easily or were not allowed a license.

the joke would be that if there was a jam and guys getting fidgety and restless in the cars...then it was most definitely bcos of a car someway ahead which had girls in it.and it used to be true...the guys would try to act funny n smart......the simple message to us in little cars was to just stay out of that way or just keep a good watch on our driving.

its better now with more ladies driving...but such sad incidents still take place.my heart goes out to the two small children...i believe their mother passed away in the accident...sad...really sad.

happy heart

drive safe cos someone is waiting for u at home

By amr• 3 Dec 2006 11:10
amr

That was very disturbing to hear. I've been told that a biker caused the accident. He seems he started to harass the girls who were sitting in the car while they were driving. I really hate those 7abarbash silly bikers. They think they're cool while they suck. One of them has a big fat ass, how can he sit on that thing?

By novita77• 3 Dec 2006 09:27
novita77

Yes i think in arab world there is a gesture to be patient. But in the west it meant differently like 'What the hell???'.

By anonymous• 3 Dec 2006 09:10
anonymous

Sorry guys.

I did it the other day, Full stop on the roundabout. Some dude in his nice land-cruiser blowing the horn at me. Well after the traffic cop let us move finally, I did the magic finger and it was funny watching him try to do it. It sure lack character and pepper for his reply. I thought it was hilarious watch him get angry for something we cant control. Would I do it again? No. I need to know if the Qatar's have a hand gesture for patience or be happy. Something like that.

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?"

Gal. 4:16

By honey• 3 Dec 2006 08:01
honey

ok i admit im new on driving in qatar, but i'm a very careful person, i have jeep with manual system everytime i turn into rounabout i have to take my time and look at my left and right side in case someone pass me, most of the case is the ladies who horn me like crazy, the guys still have patient, i just dont understand why they are such in hurry?

one time i was stuck in the traffic and not moving at all, the ladies behind keep horning and it was annoying, i came down from my car and asked her whats the matter, she just answer to give the pressure to the one in the front! well i guess her mind is screwed cause the front cant move either cause of the street bloked by police...hehehehe what an idea, and still she horn again :}

By Momo• 3 Dec 2006 05:07
Momo

Having lived here for 18 years, I cant tell you the number of times I almost got run over myself (my brother was run over on a zebra crossing in 1994), or the number of freinds that have been injured or lost to belligerent drivers.

It is a sad, morbid state of affairs and the conflation of the local ego viz their country and others only reinforces this kind of behavior.

Tips on driving here:

Try to set an example, You cannot imagine how beneficial this is. I have turned some of the worst Schumacher wannabes into gleaming examples of safe driving! :)

Strap your children in safety seats/belts

ALWAYS wear a seatbelt! Even if its just for a trip to the mart a minute down the road from you. This will reinforce point 1.

Don't speed excessively

USE YOUR INDICATOR

Be Courteous (too often have I seen ex-patriots fall into the "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" mentality). Ive seen soccer moms skidding/swirving a turn on two wheels on Al-Nasr.. it is THAT BAD!

And... Don't Drink and Drive.. Hard to believe in a Muslim country.. but I tell you, this one is a silent epidemic just waiting to explode. I remember going to the Diplomatic club and seeing a CID official allowing a completely wasted (not to mention utterly belligerent) corpse of man get into his car, with a beer he WAS allowed to take home with him (SHOCK?)

I remember in the 80's and early 90's, Q-TV ran daily public notices on Safe driving and prudent conduct on the road, complete with catchy slogans and flashy videos and all! They taught me alot actually and I wish that they somehow reimplemented this (though its difficult when Qtv has a viewer share of like 0.00000001%).

Don't let one man's dream become another's nightmare

By Charlene• 2 Dec 2006 20:56
Charlene

You've made some very valid points here.However, this way of driving in my opnion, is not going to change any time soon. I have seen it over and over in Kuwait as well as Qatar. I've even seen them driving in access of 150 with a newspaper spread out around the steering wheel! Imagine....Lack of education on driving, and until that changes I fear that this type of driving will never stop.

If it wasn't for the defensive driving of some of us there would be a whole lot more accidents happening!

By spoerry• 27 Nov 2006 23:06
spoerry

I remember that I had met someone who passed the driving licence here ... Actually he passed it but he was not driving : his driver was driving instead. And he got the licence like this. Isn't there a problem ?

By butterfly• 27 Nov 2006 21:23
butterfly

I just hope these deaths aren't pointless.

I hope it teaches an important lessons and real effords are made to make Qatar roads a little safer.

By Miss Interpreted• 27 Nov 2006 11:20
Miss Interpreted

It was a real shame about the accident. Judging from the report, I can imagine that the kids were not seated, given there were 9 people in the car.

The system here of fining "cars" instead of cancelling people's licences is also pretty pointless i think. if you can afford the fines you just keep paying them with no consequence (which is my understanding, happy to be corrected). the threat of losing a drivers licence might make a difference.

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