Traffic Department warns against over-speeding before Iftar

Doha: The General Directorate of Traffic has warned drivers against over-speeding, especially before Iftar. The Directorate also stressed that road users have to adhere to the speed limit to preserve the safety of others.

Drifting, reckless driving, and speed before Iftar are among the common wrong traffic behaviours during Ramadan. 

“We emphasise that the traffic patrols have, during the past few days, seized several traffic rule violators and referred them to the competent authorities to take legal action against them,” Colonel Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba, Assistant Director of the Media and Traffic Awareness Department at the General Directorate of Traffic said.

Speaking to The Peninsula, Colonel Odaiba said that the Department is working to monitor and control some of the wrong traffic behaviours that usually abound in Ramadan.

He affirmed that the Department does not tolerate such violations that cause a threat to public safety, calling on the public to report promptly if such behaviours occur. During Ramadan, the Department launches a campaign to control such violations and apply the law to the perpetrators.

Colonel Odaiba advised motorists to stop their vehicles in designated places during Iftar and Suhour instead of over-speeding to reach their destinations. He also warned against the use of mobile phones while driving and the importance of seat belts.

To prevent accidents, the General Directorate of Traffic usually distributes Iftar meals to motorists on the road so motorists can have their Iftar meals instead of rushing to beat the time. 

Meanwhile, a Department official stated that drifters and reckless drivers would have their vehicles confiscated for up to three months. 

“The vehicles of the violators and stunt-drivers would be seized in case of violating the law, and this confiscation would be for a maximum period of three months. 

The punishment also includes hefty fines, which might reach up to QR3,000,” said an official from the Department earlier.

In case the drifting is practiced in residential areas, which might expose people’s life to danger, the vehicle would be booked for 90 days and “may be transferred to the public prosecution depending on the nature of the offence.

In case the driver indulged in drifting destroys public properties, they must pay the cost of the loss that occurred.