Number of road accident victims drop down to 45%
The number of road accident victims admitted to hospital has declined to 45 percent, a senior official of the Traffic Department said, citing hospital data.
"Hamad Medical Corporation has informed us that the accident rate has dropped to 45 percent," the Qatar News Agency quoted Brigadier Mohammed Saad Al Kharji, Director of the Department, as saying.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Salamtek, a downloadable smartphone application that blocks calls while driving vehicles.
Al Kharji said besides such "innovative apps to help eliminate distracted driving, more police patrols and officers will be deployed to promote safety and reduce road accidents".
Using cellphone while driving is the cause of more than 80 percent of accidents, he said.
Asked the department is considering temporarily waiving fines for vehicles parked on pavements due to the inconvenience caused to citizens by road works all over Doha, he said, "There are no such plans. Violators will be booked as per the law. People can hire a taxi, or find other solutions."
On citizens using technology, Al Kharji said people can take photographs on their phones and send it through to Metrash 2 to help identify traffic law violators, particularly those who park vehicles in a way that block other cars or in front of villa gates.
