Doha
The reckless practice of tailgating contributed to at least a pile-up each in Doha and Gharrafa. There were no casualties, sources said.
Four vehicles - including two SUVs, a sedan and a passenger van – were involved in the pile-up on D Ring Road, almost opposite Lulu Hypermarket, around 6.45am.
Since offices open only at 9am during the holy month of Ramadan, the pile-up on D-Ring Road, which otherwise is a very busy thoroughfare, did not cause any major traffic congestion.
The pile-up at Gharrafa, which happened around 2.30pm, involved at least three vehicles, according to an eyewitness.
Though the Traffic Department officials have advised motorists on many occasions to desist from tailgating, the dangerous practice continues unabated on Qatar’s roads.
“Qatar should adopt what is being done in Dubai from next month,” a motorist told Gulf Times, referring to the news that Dubai radars will be able to catch tailgaters.
Quoting Major General Mohamed Saif al-Zafein, assistant to the Dubai Police Chief for Operations Affairs, Gulf News reported recently that the move is in order to reduce casualties from accidents caused by tailgating.
Earlier this month, the Dubai Police launched its annual ‘Keep a safe distance’ traffic campaign, quoting tailgating as the third-leading cause of traffic deaths.
Tailgating caused 26 deaths in 2014 in Dubai, and 11 deaths between January and May this year. Also in 2014, Dubai Traffic Police issued 69,964 fines for people not leaving a safe distance between vehicles on Dubai roads and in 2015, 19,975 fines were issued in the first four months.
According to Maj Gen al-Zafein, the radars installed in Dubai have the latest technology to detect tailgating violations accurately, regardless of the speed of the vehicle.
He said that the radar will detect motorists who leave less than 5m of space from the car ahead of them at a speed exceeding 80km/hr. If the car is cruising at a speed lower than 80km/hr, then the radar will not detect a violation.
The radar takes photos of the front and rear of the vehicle and can detect the violation in any lane. The photos will help make sure the violation is legitimate and can be accessed if the driver contests the fine. The fine for tailgating in Dubai is Dh400 and four black points, Gulf News added.
“The situation in Qatar is also very similar,” another Doha resident pointed out while suggesting that only stringent disciplinary action by the authorities could curb tailgating.