Traffic violations in Qatar dropped by 30.4% in July, reveals a new monthly government report released yesterday.
According to the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, traffic violations fell to 1,24,230 in July, which is a decrease of 30.4% compared with June.
Moreover, 15 deaths in accidents were reported to the traffic police departments. In June, there were 16 such cases. Major and minor injuries were 66 and 565 respectively.
The report noted that Madinat Khalifa Traffic Department recorded the highest number of traffic accidents, around 5,436 cases. The same department also recorded the highest number of deaths (four) in accidents.
The ministry released the seventh edition of Qatar’s monthly statistics bulletin yesterday.
The bulletin statistics show that Qatar’s population reached 1.9mn in July after it reached 2.2mn in June.
Around 192 people got married last July compared with 280 in June, while the number of divorces was 62 in July and 88 in June.
July’s total number of births slumped to 1,609 compared with 1,833 in June. The total number of Qatari children born peaked at 438, including 230 males.
The number of deaths in the country increased from 183 in June to 186 in July; around 36 were Qatari nationals who died.
Economically, the bulletin points out that the July CPI attained 118 points, a slight rise of 0.3% compared with 117.7 points in June.
The commercial banks’ total deposits in Qatar amounted to QR575bn in July, a drop of 2.7% vis-à-vis last June, where the total deposits reached about QR591bn.
The bulletin, released on a monthly basis since the beginning of 2014, is meant to identify the developments and changes that occur in the social and economic aspects in Qatar.
‘Causes’ of road accidents
Motorists have attributed fatal road accidents on the country’s highways to four main reasons.
Speaking to local Arabic daily Arrayah, a number of motorists who use the highways said some of these roads do not conform to approved specifications as potholes are often found on them.
The asphalt layer is sometimes uneven, which poses risks such as speeding vehicles overturning if the motorist does not exercise extra caution. The next factor highlighted by them is violation of traffic rules by trucks, which are common on these roads, besides other speeding vehicles.
The fourth reason, according to the motorists, is congestion caused on main roads during peak hours by road works and diversions. This prompts some motorists to opt for narrower adjacent roads to avoid traffic jams, which often leads to serious accidents due to the limited space available.