This week, the General Directorate of Traffic will highlight violations of crossing the red signal and over speeding, considered among the most common cause of road accidents that result in loss of lives and properties. This is still part of their ongoing traffic awareness campaign, ‘Accident-Free Summer’.

Over speedingThe General Directorate of Traffic calls upon road users to avoid committing these violations and requested the media, to cooperate in educating the public on these violations, to ensure public safety.

Colonel Mohammad Radhi Al Hajri, Awareness and Information Department Director, said that crossing of the red signal is subject to a fine of QAR 6,000 and seven points. He stressed that the ultimate goal of their office is to ensure safety. He also pointed out that they want to prevent offenders by imposing a fine that is commensurate with the gravity of the violation, and the consequent serious accidents, it may cause the general public.

Colonel Al Hajri also underscored the significance and importance of respecting the law by following the road signals.

According to the Head of Traffic Planning Section at the Roads Engineering Department, Captain Mohammed Misfer Al Hajri, the statistics for the first and second quarters of the current year showed an increase in the number of violations due to over speeding at 51,000 while violations due to signal crossing is at 6,700. He said that these violations are considered a deliberate attack on others.

Smart Signals

All traffic signals in the country are smart signals and act through ‘sensors’ that respond to the traffic condition in the signal. There are specific times when these signals also take into account the capacity of the road and the rate of car flow on it.

Chapter No 9 of the Traffic Law states that traffic priority at junctions with automatic traffic light signals shall be in accordance with the following colours: 1. Red for stop 2. Yellow for readiness, but it does not mean move 3. Green means move.

Motorists shall undertake to observe automatic traffic signals while driving. Despite having priority or if the traffic light indicates green, a motorist may not move the vehicle if such act will disrupt or hinder traffic, and whoever has priority may waive such priority if traffic conditions so require. In the event that a traffic police officer is directing traffic using hand signals, motorists shall comply with those signals and not others, and all other traffic signals shall be invalid.

On the directions related to the pedestrians, Article no (62) of the Traffic Law stipulates  that when crossing the carriageway on a designated path, pedestrians shall observe the following:

1. Pedestrian traffic lights if available.

2. No crossing as long as traffic police are instructing vehicles to pass.

A fine of 500 Qatari riyals will be charged if the pedestrian did not follow the traffic lights of the pedestrian path or the manual signal of the policeman. In all cases, pedestrians must observe and take account of traffic signals and rules.

Regarding overspeeding, Article 53 of the Law states that motor vehicle drivers shall abide by the following:

1. Not exceed the maximum speed limit for motor vehicles on the road. Drivers of police vehicles, and ambulances and firefighters responding to an emergency are exempted, as is any driver of a vehicle transporting patients or seriously injured persons provided they use an alarm and hazard lights and slow down as much as possible for the safety of traffic at junctions;

2. Reduce speed when approaching pedestrian crossings and residential areas, turnings, bends and ramps, and junctions, roundabouts, bridges and tunnels, and when entering public squares, or approaching schools and hospitals, to ensure road safety;

3. Control the vehicle and adjust their speed according to the circumstances, road conditions, the state of the vehicle and its load and the weather conditions, so that speed can be reduced or the vehicle can be stopped if necessary.

Check out this link for updates and more information about the ongoing traffic awareness campaign.