Time to change the driving culture in Qatar

Computer tests for aspiring drivers are going to be introduced soon in Qatar. The aim is commendable: the creation of a new generation of automobile users that will know not just how to steer a vehicle from one place to another, but also understand the norms of road usage.

There’s just one glitch, however: many people who drive vehicles for a living in Qatar are not computer-literate. What appears to be a very useful idea in theory, therefore, may be rendered impractical due to the “technology gap”.

Road accidents in Qatar are commonplace, and, given the size of its population, quite deadly. In January this year, the Ministry of Interior launched the “National Traffic Safety Strategy 2013-2022” which envisages the reduction of the death rate due to traffic accidents to 130 from the present number of 220 and cases of serious injuries to the rate of 300 compared to the present rate of 550 injuries per year.

The proposed computer test has some inbuilt challenges beyond the literacy levels of the students. Its efficacy is also yet to be confirmed. Many army personnel are trained for warfare with the help of computer games; but it doesn’t automatically make them better fighters. After all, what works in the controlled environment of a computer screen may fizzle out as soon as it is tested on the road.

Despite the shortcomings, however, it is about time that Qatar’s driving culture was upgraded to the 21st century. Computer lessons may be one method of doing so. Another could be a more vigorous awareness campaign by the Traffic Department through the technology that most people own these days: the mobile phone. Handheld devices are more convenient than traditional workstations to engage public interest.

Quizzes on traffic signage should not be restricted to learner drivers – they could be made a part of the school curriculum, so that children learn early on about the right way to use roads.

Perhaps the focus should also shift to not just the driver, but also the pedestrian, who is the silent cause and victim of many traffic mishaps. Multilingual awareness programmes for pedestrians will help to create a safer environment and modify future behaviour.

Available statistics also suggest that more should be done to facilitate the use of roads by pedestrians. The absence of bridges, for instance, is a contributory factor of as much as 40% of accidents involving pedestrians.

As the population of Qatar expands, its road infrastructure should also reflect the size of its vehicular traffic. Small roads must eventually be replaced with ones built to accommodate a larger user base.

Resistance to new ideas is a given in any situation. In the case of a complex issue like Qatar’s driving culture, of which vehicles, roads, pedestrians and street furniture are just some of the elements involved, any change will have to be persistent, even if it is initially unpopular.