The directorate had begun the soft activation of monitoring the two violations from August 27 through automated radar and Tala’a cameras, a week before the official activation date, with the aim of educating road users about these violations.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has cautioned against using mobile phones and other visual devices while driving citing it would cause accidents. “Using a mobile phone or other smart devices while driving is a dangerous behaviour that jeopardises not only your life but also the lives of others,” a statement shared on MoI’s official X account said.
“Article No. 55 of the Traffic Law mandates the motor vehicle driver to refrain from using mobile phones or other devices in any way that requires the use of hands for carrying or operation while driving and not to watch any visual material on the vehicle's television while driving,” the statement added. The statement comes as part of MoI’s large-scale campaign on its social media accounts and all media outlets.
Officials have explained that interaction with visual devices including mounted mobile phones and dashboard monitors while driving will be a violation and will come under the purview of the penalty.
Maj Hamad Ali al-Muhannadi, head of the Radar and Scales Department at the General Directorate of Traffic, recently told Al Rayyan TV that any physical engagement with such devices during driving will be detected by the unified radars and will be penalised as per the Traffic Law which stipulates that being engaged with any visual medium while driving, including the mobile phone, would be a violation.
“Some believe that using a mobile phone, mounted on a base inside the car’s dashboard, isn’t considered a violation. It’s a violation according to the law. Simply touching any screen that displays visuals is a violation,” he said.
Major al-Muhannadi earlier said images of motorists not wearing a seatbelt and using mobile phones while driving will be available on the Metrash 2 app. The new unified radars will clearly capture the two violations. According to him, the radars will differentiate between the seat belt and the cloth even if they are of the same colour. It’s possible to lighten or darken the image and extract a very clear image that the violator can view. "We have a mechanism for processing and verifying images of violations."
The authorities have urged all road users to comply with the traffic law and its executive regulations to preserve lives and property, and contribute to the great efforts made by the various authorities, stressing that traffic safety is a joint responsibility of the society too.