Safe Driving
Hello QL's, some weeks ago I participated in a subject posted on the site re driving in Qatar. I had a conversation earlier today which brought the subject to mind so I thought it a good idea to re-post my entry.
...I have lost count of the times I have seen a child standing between the front seats playing, even sitting on the drivers lap!! The driving here is so poor it's almost beyond belief. One would think that because the standard is so low, parents would place children in child seats and strap them in securely. Some do but most...well. The traffic light system is such, that you will invariably get caught on a red light at the next set, so please tell me why is so important to drive at 150 kph to get to a red light. Ego?
I have taken the liberty of adding some driving tips I have learnt in the past. They are as follows;
Slow down. The chances are you’ll meet the driver doing 150kph past you at the next red light. Drive defensively. Raise your vision and look as far up the road as you can, draw your vision back towards the front of your own car/4X4/lorry/bus, etc. You will note what is happening at junctions etc. This also allows you to observe what is going on up the road and prepare for it rather than having to do an emergency stop every time a hazard presents itself.
Look straight through the windows of the car in front of you and the one in front of that if you can. This improves your forward vision and helps you plan ahead instead of waiting for the brake light of the car in front to show. This way you will already be prepared and will have adjusted your driving accordingly. And KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!!!! Most of the cars you will see have the fronts smashed in. 99.9% of the time this is purely because the driver was too close to the car in front, tail gating. Yes, speed does have something to do with this but, it’s simple maths really.
If you drive fast you travel further while thinking about braking.
If you drive fast you travel further before reacting.
If you drive fast you travel further whilst braking.
Add these 3 factors together and I promise you you’ll be surprised at how far you actually travelled. As shown below.
30kph = 10.8 meters. 60kph = 32.4 meters. 120= 107.5 meters
If you leave a reactionary gap between you and the car in front you will, more often than not, be able to stop in time. Of course if you leave a gap bigger than the width of cigarette paper, some clown will move into it. So what?! Let them have it and back off a little more.
If, as does happen quite a lot here, someone is driving on your rear bumper and you can’t move out of there way (for safeties sake), then increase the gap with the vehicle in front of you. Then, if the vehicle in front brakes quickly, you will have a little more time and space and the luxury of braking slower and the car behind, God willing, will not slam into the back of you.
Good luck and keep safe.
while driving... that's what I am doing everyday.
Until those irresponsible-nasty-demonic-evil-slipshod-unconcious, etc., etc., DRIVERS here in Qatar who never valued their life and others.... it will remain as it is.
HELL ROAD....
" AN END DOES NOT JUSTIFY THE MEANS"
oh there is drunk driving problem here alright... very rampant actually,...just the same with sober arrogant stupid drivers...
Hold on a tick... who said there is no drunk driving problem here? So untrue. Take a person who had a few drinks and then factor in that they drive with reckless abandon when they are sober....
You read it in the paper all the time about drunk driving deaths, usually a pedestrian.
"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"
The answer is to teach drivers to be aware of, and to show respect to other road users and pedestrians.
That means, no tailgating, no flashing of headlights (it's my road, get out of my way!), and above all not making unpredictable manouvers which cannot be anticipated by other road users.
The roads are for everyones use. If people are made aware of just how potentially dangerous driving can be, driving standards would improve and the roads would be much safer here.
In my country is forbidden for kids under 14 to stay in the front seat even if an adult hold them...maybe people don't know that the airbag -right front seat- can suffocate the small kid (in case of accident or another type of shock) and it can be switched off...not to mention that even in back seats the kids should wear the belt, true! It has to be a campaign / a special chapter in Traffic Law for prevention in traffic! I remember that in Al Rayah Driving Schhol they told me"keep the distance while driving in order to see the back wheels of the front car" so a kind of 3-5m. between, isn't it?
TV commercials do work, consider Mc Donalds, success here can't be for the taste!! Who Am I, I beleive the age for front seat kids is 10 years and over. Seat belts for all front passengers is compulsory, though rear seat belts are not compulsary in Qatar. So, when you see the crazies allowing there kids to jump around in the back and stand between the front seats it's all legal!!! Personaly, if a passenger gets in to the back seat of my car and states they do not want to wear the belt..they're walking. It is good that Qatar has zero tolerance on the alcohol issue. With the standard of driving and alcohol. Oh dear, I dread to think.
who.am.i, i wish they had them here...
in Dubai, they have these commercials telling people that speeding could kill.. something like that..
cheers,
paul
yeah education,.. oh and some banging on the head will do, coz some people are just so stubborn even when properly educated about these things...
mj you think a child in a front seast with no belt is bad, i once saw a child sitting in the lap of the drivers seat whilst driving, i was in shock...
yeah a violation, but they still get away with it,... i see children seating on front seats as young as 4 or 5....it's infuriating!
I agree Must_try, education is the key. They should have more commercials about affects of speeding. This commercial used in Australia helped reduced deaths in relation to speeding.
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letting kids under the age of 12 in Qatar is a violation..
i understand how you're feeling..
cheers,
paul
it is not fun but it is safer my friend....
It is a trade off between privacy and safety...
sad to hear the traffic accident rates...although we dont have alcohol driving problem and the rate is still high
what i hate the most is seeing kids seating in the front seat! i see them all the time and it just makes me furious, one time, i even saw a child in the front seat and no seatbelt!!
Stallion, I have lived in the UK for most of my life and beleave me when I say, you do not want to live in a country where surveilance cameras are everywhere. The UK now has more cameras per capita than anywhere else in the world (I think). It's no fun. Big Brother!!!
no such thing as safe driving here....
Amoud, the way to solving the problem is through education. It is no use telling someone they are a bad driver, all this does is antagonize them. Statistically Qatar has a high road traffic accident death rate, 9 people in 10'000 die in road traffic accidents. Compare this to the UK (1.5 in 10'000) and you must agree it is high. It is not as bad as some countries but it is up there amongst the top. If we also consider those that die every week in the desert in vehicle crashes the Qatarie statistic nearly doubles. This is sad news for any country. Defensive driving courses certainly would help but until that happens...?
Education is the way forward, drive carefully.
even driving etiquetts in general...standing in line/ que...I sometimes wonder why dnt we have respect for one another in this part of the world...
I wish we had surveilance cameras everywhere...poeple would have behaved better
Also orienting people should help...maybe not for this generation but the next :)
I often thought if defensive driving courses would be of a benefit here... but sadly I dont think this will solve the problem.
"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock - Will Rogers"