What should you do if you find yourself in the middle of a car accident
We all know about the wild and somewhat incredulous driving that people tend to practice in Qatar. We all at one point or the other, would have muttered in frustration at the adjacent car or two.
Being a part of the “Doha world”, getting your car bumper knocked or scraped, or having a side mirror knocked off is unavoidable.
Hence, here are some important things that you should know if your car is involved in an accident-
#- First, accident or no, make sure you have the following documents in your car always.
1-Your driving license
2-Your vehicle insurance paperwork
3-Your vehicle registration
#- According to a new law, if the accident is minor and the vehicles are in driving condition with nobody injured, then you should move the vehicle without obstructing the traffic
#-However, if the vehicles have suffered a lot of damage, don’t move them from the spot even if they are a hindrance to the others on the road while you wait for the Police to arrive
#- Call an ambulance and the police immediately if anybody is injured or in a critical condition.
#- Once the authorities arrive, they will check your paperwork. Make sure all are in the proper order.
#- The authorities will then issue a red or a green ticket. The red ticket is given for the one at fault and the green for the one who isn’t.
#- Then you will be asked to collect the police report at a certain date from a police station, which is generally within the next two days. Also, try to get some details about the policeman like his name, badge number, police branch etc.
#- When you go to the police station, try to take an Arabic speaking friend along with you for communicational purposes.
#-Also talk respectfully and never accept blame if the accident was not caused due to your carelessness.
#- Don’t lose your temper and don’t sign on anything that you don’t understand.
#- No matter how minor your accident is, you will have to obtain a police report in order to fix and repair your car.
#-If your car is bumped in a mall and if you don’t know who did it, go the nearest police station and file a report. In such cases you will have to wait for about a week till someone comes forward claiming responsibility. Thereafter, you can retrieve a police report and fix your car.
Here are some emergency numbers that you should know-
Police - +974 4489 0699
+974 4489 0670
Ambulance – 999
Hope you drive safe and abide by all the traffic rules of the country.
If you have any more information to add to the list, comment below.
(Cover image courtesy: Holly)
# If the accident is a minor one, and no one is injured, and the vehicles are still in driving condition, then you must first move to the nearest parking area to avoid obstructing the traffic, and call the police and await for further instructions. It is always handy to take a picture before you move your car, so the police can further help decide on the fault and the right. Fines for obstructing traffic due to minor accident - QAR 1000.
When you are not at fault, police give the report and you go to the insurance agency. If you have any preferred repair workshop you have the option to decide. So it is better do some research or check with your friends before going to the insurance.
Thank you so much for this valuable information.
Informative ... Thanks !!!
This isn't correct. I had the windshield cracked by a stone. I applied for the police report. I got it after one week without any charges!
The last point, if someone hits you while parked in a mall or parking area, after 1 week, you will still need to pay QAR 100 for police report, even if you are not at fault. Also you better have full insurance, if not, then pay full for the repairs. For older cars with third party insurance only, this is why people collect all their scratches and dent and fix them in one go after inspection or before inspection.