Driving Licence Points - and how people are escaping them

In the last couple of years police have got tough on driving offences in Qatar.

It's now very easy to get points on your licence, and you get points for relatively mild offences such as parking.

(In Qatar you can get done for parking even where there are no no-parking signs on the road - as happened to Amnesia from I Love Qatar - so be careful.)

Some people have reacted positively - one Qatari lady tells me she now drives very carefully after receiving points and a huge fine as a result of driving through a red light while speaking on her mobile phone.

Of course, it's obvious to everyone that the laws have made no difference to some drivers on the road.

But get 15 points and you lose your driving licence.

So how are people managing?

One Qatari explained to me.

"When you get close to 15 points, you just ask your friend, or your brother, or your cousin to go and take the points for you.

"As for myself, I haven't got any points on my license at all."

"You must be very careful," I said.

"Yes. I know a man from Pakistan who will take points for 50 riyals each. He has taken all my points."

Also see: Qatar Visitor's 90 Second to Guide to Driving in Qatar

Like this post? Sign up for the Qatar Visitor Newsletter.

Qatar Visitor Friends


Tags

Qatar driving licence points

Road Rage

I'm often asked about safety in Qatar, and I always say that it is a safe place. But in the back of my mind there is a little nagging thought which says: "Except for the roads."

One of the most worrying aspects of driving in Qatar is road rage.

Stone Throwing

One time, when I was coming off a roundabout I noticed a Landcruiser veering towards me. I sounded the horn long and hard. The landcruiser ducked behind me for a moment, then came alongside me, opened the window and threw something hard and heavy at me which struck my car.

That's seems to be a fairly unusual occurence - I have only heard of it a couple of times.

Backslamming

However, there is a more sinister form of road rage here which is far more common. I have heard friends tell stories of this, I've heard Arabs talk about this, I've had it done to me and I've seen it done to other people.

What generally happens is this: a driver loses his temper, often because you don't move out of the way within miliseconds of him driving inches away from your bumper.

When you do move out of the way, he accelerates, changes lane so that he is in front of you, and slams on his brakes - or, should he be driving a manual car, changes down through the gears so that you don't see his brake lights.

Of course, if you do not have your wits about you (after hearing the story from my friend, I was lucky enough to anticipate the move both times it happened to me) the resulting accident would be regarded as your fault, as you are hitting the back of his car.

Not Always Anger

According to one person I met, this is not always done in anger.

An Arab girl I met through work told me that her brother's hobby was doing this to women drivers.

Stressed

Of course, these things don't happen to you every day.

However, it is something to be aware of when you are driving.

People stressed by the explosion of traffic in a formerly quiet city can snap easily.

When it happens, it is best not to respond to anger with anger.

If you are not Arab, remember that you are not in your own country, you are not in your own culture and chances are you don't speak the language, so forget your pride and get yourself out of the situation as quickly and as calmly as possible.

More? Check out Qatar Visitor's 90 second guide to driving in Qatar (Podcast)

Qatar Visitor Friends


Tags

driving road rage

Qatar Game Banned in the US

According to The Qatar Times, a Qatar computer game has been banned in the US. We have scanned and added the newspaper article below, but we have also typed out the full article for those of you with text browsers. (It's about time the Qatar Times got a website!)

Qatar Game Banned in the US

The Qatar computer game Landcruiser, based on driving experiences in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, has been banned by authorities in America for being too scary.

"An old women died of a heart attack after using it, one teenager is still curled up in a foetus position two weeks after purchasing it, and some of our staff have now reverted to using horse and cart after routine testing of the game," complained the head of the US board for approval of computer games, which has previously approved controversial games such as Scary Death Monster Cannibal Ghosts for the under 5's.

In the game, which uses real footage of driving taken from car cameras in Qatar, users have to complete a number of routine tasks, such as driving the wrong way round a roundabout in a Landcruiser while speaking to an angry customer on a mobile phone and eating a large cheeseburger and fries.

The designer of the game, Dr F. Ool, who is also the brainchild of Qatar Snow City, defended the game.

"It may not be popular in America, but it is perfect preparation for actually driving in Qatar."

Qatar residents didn't see what the fuss was about, with one expatriate, Ahmed from Egypt, saying:

"I thought it was boring!"

Qatar has a burgeouning computer games industry, and the game is just one of several hundred to be released this year.

Also See: Qatar Visitor's 90 Second Guide to Driving in Qatar

Dune Bashing Gone Wrong

Driving in the desert we came across this horrific accident - a very real reminder of the dangers of desert driving...

Also see: Desert Day Out

Qatar Visitor Friends


Tags

desert

Safe driving or death by landcruiser?

Is it just me, or has driving in Qatar improved?

When I first arrived in Qatar, I used to reckon on about three scary incidents per trip. Now, while there is still plenty of bad driving going on, I often have trips where there are no scary incidents at all.

It is also possible that my driving has adapted to Qatar conditions. It’s certainly true that after a while here you seem to sense what cars are going to do. One handy tip that has helped me a lot is to rely on the position of cars on the road rather than their indicators to tell you whether they are going to turn or not.

However, I do think that driving has improved somewhat, and it seems to be backed up with statistics, with fewer road deaths last year.

When I asked Mike, a British expat who has been here for five years, he agreed with me.

“One thing that has happened since the new traffic laws have been brought in is a real fall in the speed of cars,” he said.

Thomas, a British man on his third visit to Qatar, also felt that the standard of driving had improved since his first visit two and a half years ago.

“Overall the standard of driving is better, although there are still some total idiots about.”

“People drive more carefully,” agreed Shinta, an Indonesian lady, “especially in regard to traffic lights. In fact, people will now stop at traffic lights at any cost.”

Another resident's memory stretches back a bit further:

"It's true people drove faster when I first came here 20 years ago," said Arun. "However, I believe that this is more to do with the fact that there is much traffic here now."

However, when I asked a Japanese lady whether she thought driving had improved, she shook her head firmly.

"Not at all. Not one bit."

"In fact," added her passenger, "I think it has got worse."

Also see our Ninety Second Guide to Driving in Qatar

Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)

Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East Qatar driving

Pay your fines - before you go on holiday

Discussion on Qatar Living has been focussing on the need to pay fines before going on holiday. This follows a recent article in the Gulf Times which reported that residents have been prevented from going on holiday because of unpaid fines.

It is not possible to pay the fines at the airport, and the residents were told to visit the traffic department. In most cases, this would mean that flights would be missed.

It is also possible to pay fines online. While some months ago there seemed to be bugs with this system, it is now working correctly and it is possible to both check for traffic violations and to pay by credit card. To do this visit the e-gov site and put your vehicle number into the box on the right side bar on the front page.

If you happen to be one of the unfortunate and are at the airport when you are refused exit - and have your laptop - remember that the airport has free wireless. It is possible that you could pay your fine and exit the county, although we haven't looked into the technicalities of this!

Be aware, however, that traffic violations do not always appear instantly on the website. The only way to be completely sure is to visit the traffic department and check personally.

Also see: Driving in Qatar: Practical Information

Tourist Driving Licence: one or two weeks?

Confusion is currently ruling supreme amongst newly arrived residents as to just how long they can drive for before obtaining a temporary driving licence.

Almost all published information states that a driver can use a car for one week on a temporary driving licence. However, the police recently stated in the Gulf Times that a foreign driving licence is in fact valid for two weeks.

However, when we asked at the Traffic Department how long a licence was valid for, we were told it could be used for a week only.

It seems likely that a decision has been taken at the top to extend the use for two weeks, but that this decision has not been well communicated. Until this matter has been cleared up, we recommend not taking any risks and only driving on a foreign driving licence for one week.

Also see: Driving in Qatar: Practical Information

Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)

Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East driving license

New traffic signs have sprung up around Doha in the last few weeks, warning of the dire consequences of breaking the strict new traffic laws.

Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)

Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East images road+sign

Traffic offences down

There has been some scepticism as to whether the new traffic laws would be effective. I must admit that I started to share in the scepticism on the day the law was introduced, when as I was sitting in my car, I noticed the man besides me on his mobile phone. In front of me and to the left was a police car, and behind the police car was another man on his phone. Neither man took any notice of the police vehicle.

Other people have pointed out that there is no way that many expatriates will be able to pay fines. This could lead to people not registering their cars, as fines have to be paid before cars are registered. Other people have worried that residents will take out bank loans to pay the fines and then flee the country.

Our sceptism may have been misplaced. The Peninsula has reported today that traffic violations are down 90% since the introduction of the new traffic law. It seems that changing the law has been rather more effective than Qatar's road safety campaigns.

Qatar Visitor's 90 second guide to Driving in Qatar (podcast)

Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)

Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East driving

New Traffic Regulations Coming Into Force Tomorrow

Doha’s Traffic Police authorities can’t be blamed for feeling frustrated. Despite committed and comprehensive campaigns to increase road safety, Doha’s roads remain a menace, and road accidents are the leading cause of death in this otherwise very safe country. Things can’t be helped by a continual inflow of expatriate workers, some who have a driving culture even more reckless than Qatar.

Therefore it should be of no surprise that penalties have been stiffened again. The law is based on a complicated system of points, but penalties can include a fine of up to QR50,000, permanent suspension of driving licenses and even imprisonment of up to three years. For details of the law see Traffic Offences.

Qatar Visitor's 90 Second Guide to Driving in Qatar

Practical Information about Driving in Qatar

Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)

Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East traffic regulations

Podcast: Surviving Driving in Qatar

Qatar Visitor's Ninety Second Guide to Driving in Qatar

Our latest podcast on Qatar Sounds is on driving in Qatar. For greater authenticity, we decided to record it in a car. Unfortunately, as you can tell from the podcast, not everything went quite to plan...

Qatar Podcast: Qatar Driving Tips

Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)

Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East Podcast Driving

New Traffic Regulations

Qatar is getting tougher again with its chaotic drivers with the implementation of a new traffic law. Driving in Qatar has been compared to an extreme sport by the US State Department, and fines, despite the huge number that have been paid, have proved ineffective. Now offenders will get points as well as pay fines, and can eventually lose their license. (See Traffic Offences for more details of the complicated system.) In addition, other penalties have been made tougher, and will include fines of up to QR50,000 and prison sentences.

While this is a positive step in a country where seventy percent of youth’s deaths are caused by traffic accidents, there are concerns about fair implementation. After all, this is the country where a senior policeman blamed the state of the roads on Indian drivers. While it is true to say there are many dangerous expat drivers, Qataris have to take some of the blame. There is, after all, a big difference between being a skilled driver and being a safe driver.

Also see:

Road Safety Signs

Driving in Qatar: Practical Information

Qatar Visitor's 90 Second Guide to Driving in Qatar (podcast)

Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)

Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar


Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East Driving

70 percent of youth deaths caused by road accidents

According to the Peninsula today a massive seventy percent of the youth's deaths in this country are caused by road accidents. It also takes a chunk out of the overall population, accounting for sixteen percent of all deaths.

The point was really brought home to me, as I came across the story when I was searching for news of an acquaintance. I heard today that he had been killed while crossing Al Sadd street in front of Royal Plaza.

I have no details of the accident, which was why I was looking in the paper. I don't know whether it was caused by reckless driving, or by carelessness on the part of my acquaintance.

Whether or not it was the driver's fault, blood money will have to be paid to my acquaintance's family. And traffic accidents aren't always the driver's fault - some pedestrians in Qatar are as much in need of training in crossing the road as some of the worst drivers are in need of driving lessons.

I saw one man struggling to cross the road with a large bill-board. The bill board faced the on-coming traffic so that his view was completely obscured. I've also seen women dressed completely in black crossing dark roads at the dead of night.

But the driving is awful too, as we've said many time in this blog. Many people shoot red traffic lights, which was the cause of a recent fatal accident outside the Hyatt Plaza. When I saw the remains accident, you could still see the dried blood on the seat of the car. Since that accident, I've learned to ignore the beeping horns of impatient drivers behind me when lights turn green. Waiting that extra second could save your life.

Also see:

Qatar Visitor's 90 Second Guide to Driving in Qatar

Qatar Driving

Qatar Visitor e-store (U.S.)

Qatar Visitor E-store (U.K.)

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar


Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East driving

Road safety

Anyone who has driven on Qatar's roads will tell you it can be a hairy experience. This is despite the efforts of Qatar's government and police, who have installed cameras, instigated heavy fines for traffic offences and put up these scary road signs.

Also see:

Qatar Visitor's 90 Second Guide to Driving in Qatar

Driving in Qatar: Practical Information

Information for Qatar Expats

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travellers have to say about Qatar


Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East signs

Lethal crash outside Hyatt Plaza

Long term residents of Qatar know just how dangerous driving in Qatar is. Fortunately, most accidents in the city do not result in deaths. This was not the case yesterday with this horrific accident outside Hyatt Plaza. A speeding land cruiser shot the lights and slammed into this Mitsubishi Lancer. According to the story in the Peninsula today, the car then burst into flames, although the wreck looks so awful it appears that the driver and two passengers would have been killed instantly.

Qatar traffic accidents

Qatar Visitor's 90 Second Guide to Driving in Qatar (Podcast)

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East Lethal crash

Getting your car inspected

In Qatar, cars older than three years must have a yearly check. Fortunately, getting the technical inspection done is surprisingly painless. Once you have managed to actually get to the traffic inspection company (through the traffic snarls and potholes of the industrial area), the process is fast and efficient.

The inspection itself is meticulous. There are two areas you need to pass: the technical test, which evaluates the condition of the car, and the legal test. On the legal test you can fail on things such as a bad scratch or having dark windows (these need a police report in Qatar).

Getting there

It’s best to avoid busy Salwa Road and the awful roundabout at the end of it. Instead, take Muntazah street. Be careful - although this is a three lane highway with only desert to each side, the speed limit is 100 kmph , not 120, and there are speed cameras. This road will deliver you into the middle of the Industrial area, avoiding some of the worst roads. When you get to the Industrial area, go straight ahead at the roundabout onto street 33 and continue until you hit Al Kassarat Street. Turn right. You’ll drive past the Qatar technical Inspection Company, come to a roundabout and come back upon yourself. Don’t drive in through the front, instead turn right just before you get to the complex and drive round to the back entrance.

Before going

Before going to the centre I had a mechanic check my car over for faults, and he polished out a scratch. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher mounted in your car (available at the technical inspection company). I was advised by my garage to get my car jet washed, prior to the test. This involves washing the engine and underside of the car, although to be honest I didn’t bother.

What do you need

Your road permit , or a photocopy of it. That’s the small ownership card you get when you buy your car. That’s all you need. Good, isn’t it?

First check

Upon arriving drive round the back of the company and enter through gate number 1. Upon entering, take a ticket with a number on it. Park your car and enter the building. Wait for your number to come up, then hand your road permit and keys to the guy at the counter and pay the fee. He will put them in a bag with a slip for the inspector and a receipt. Exit the building, drive your car to the garage to the left of the office (assuming you are now facing the building). When you car is in the garage you exit your car and re-enter the building. You are not allowed to stay in the garage or speak to the inspectors, but you can watch from the office. (You can get a cup of tea while you do so. ) When the car has been finished (the process takes about ten minutes) your number will come up again. Collect your keys, road permit and report. The report will tell you if you have passed.

Retrial

If you fail you get a free retrial, so long as you take it within thirty days. You will only get tested on what your car failed. When you return, tell the man on the gate that this is your retest. The process is then the same, except you use the garage to the right of the building.

After passing

When you have collected you report, don’t just drive away. Turn left and join the queue of cars driving past the next building. A man will look at your report, sign it and stamp it.

Insurance and road permit

The second building in the complex contains insurance companies booths and a traffic department. Unfortunately, when I was there most of the booths were unmanned and a typist told me I would be unable to get my insurance there anyway, which was a bit disappointing. I renewed my insurance at Khaleej Insurance, on Grand Hamad Street. (Ring +974 4414151 for details).

Contact

You can ring the QTIC on +974 4604029/4604086.

Extra services

QTIC operates a pickup service for addresses in Doha. Ring the number above to arrange. They also operate mobile testing units.

Also see Driving in Qatar


Qatar Visitor Bookstore

Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travelers have to say Qatar

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East technical inspection cars

Auto-electricians

Officially, mechanics are not allowed in most areas of Doha. The government prefers to keep oily enterprise like that off the beautified streets of Doha and in places like the industrial areas. However, auto-electricians are allowed, and in practice they will do normal repairs on your car.

The street in the picture (off Bin Hamad Street in Ibn Mahmood area) is full of these little workshops. These places are far cheaper than the official car garages: a basic service, with an oil and oil filter change, normally sets me back about 70 riyals (about twenty US dollars). It's worth finding a good mechanic and building a relationship with them. Then they will not only repair your car, they'll also run around for you, have your car tested and obtain your Estimara(road permit) for you.

See: Driving in Qatar: Practical Information

Book flights, hotels or cars with Expedia.


Qatar Visitor Bookstore

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East mechanics

Qatar traffic accidents

How many accidents should a country like Qatar expect in a year?

There's a population, according to the Cia Factbook, of around 900,000, with almost 25% under the age of fifteen. A large percentage of the population are imported workers on a low income with no chance of getting enough money to buy a car (the majority of Qatar's population is not Qatari). As many Qatari women are still not allowed to drive (they require permission from the male members of their family before being allowed to obtain a licence), we can assume non-drivers outnumber drivers.

Just for comparison, the U.K. with a population of around 60,000,000 had 229,000 accidents in 2001, equating to a little over 3000 accidents per million. Given that the standard of driving is worse but car ownership is lower, could we expect a similar number in Qatar?

Actually no. According to this article in the Peninsula, there were seventy thousand accidents in the first 11 months of 2006. Even assuming there are 300,000 vehicles, if an average of two vehicles are involved in a crash, that means there was a crash rate of fifty percent. Fortunately, the vast majority of these were minor incidents, with a total of 127 deaths. These were road deaths - I suspect this number would be substantially higher if off road deaths were to be included.

It is possible to reduce the danger of accidents by becoming a good defensive driver. Forget aggression (you will be outdone), and expect the unexpected. Don't rely on others indicating, expect people to change lanes (or suddenly pull across three lanes) without checking to see if the lanes are clear, and forget any pride you have to concentrate on getting where you are going in one piece.

And if you are still worried, just be grateful you are not in Saudi Arabia, where according to this post on Life on the Spot it appears driving, like most things in Saudi, is far worse than it is here.

Driving in Qatar

Qatar Visitor's 90 Second Guide to Driving in Qatar (podcast)

Book flights,hotels or cars with Expedia.


Qatar Visitor Book & DVD store

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East accidents statistics deaths

Qatar crashes

Until 1971, Qatar was a part of the British Empire. The period under British rule seems to have left no legacy of bitterness. Indeed, there is even a certain respect for the British. This is despite the fact that the British are responsible for the relentless and continuing slaughter of Qataris and other residents of Qatar.

The seemingly innocent means of death and destruction is in fact that seemingly innocent means of mass destruction, the British roundabout.

Qataris, many of whom were Bedouin whose tribes, not so long ago, rode regularly to battle against one another with little fear of death, have transferred their recklessness to roads. However, it seems that riding camels across the desert does not prepare one adequately for the intricacies of the British road system. For a start, if you were on a camel, right of way was decided by who didn’t die first. A similar system works on Qatar roundabouts.

It was, I have been told, a British road safety team that advised Qatar to put policeman on the roundabouts during rush hour (although they forgot to mention training them to give clear signals). The British also advised them to dig the roundabouts up and replace them with traffic lights. So, in addition to all roundabout fatalities, we also have the British to blame for half of these interminable road works. Furthermore, it seems we have neglected to tell some of the drivers that red means stop.

If you’ve read our articles on driving, you’ll know that we don’t think Qatar is quite the safest place for driving in the world. If you don’t agree with us, try looking at these videos of accidents on You-tube. (Warning - some are not for the faint hearted! And no, I’m not blaming the sand-dunes on the British.)

Lonely planet crash

Head on crash

Dune bashing goes wrong

Also see:

Driving in Qatar: Practical information

Driving: Qatar style

Ads

Qatar Visitor Bookstore


Book flights,hotels or cars with Expedia.

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East crashes driving dune bashing video

The Qatar Driving Test

One woman's personal experience

By Asian Lady in Qatar.

I arrived at Al Rayyan Driving School at the official test time. The police arrived half an hour later and opened the test building. We handed in the receipts from when we paid for the test. We were given files, and the police started calling women for the theory test.

Theory test There were two separate lockets. A policeman called “Asian English” and pointed towards one of the lockets. We were separated from the examiner by a screen. The examiner held up pictures and asked us to identify them. I was asked what three different lines were for (the give way line, the parking line and the pedestrian line) and the meaning of five different signs. I nearly failed on the lines as I didn’t know we had to learn them.(Of course, I knew their function, but I didn’t know what their official name.) Also, the policeman used different names from what had been written on the test guide, and didn’t understand the official names. For example, the policeman didn’t understand “Turning backward prohibited” (which I had memorised) and would only accept “No Return”. Again, instead of slippery carriageway we had to say “road slippery”.

After passing the test, the policeman signed our file.

Hill test – I was given a car. I had to drive a car alone (a policeman watched from outside the car) and I had to drive the car slowly up a small hill, then reverse it backwards again. If you stall the car, go too fast or let the car slip back you fail the test. After passing, the policeman signed my form and I continued on to the next stage of the test.

Pocket Parking You have to reverse into a small box without touching anything. The car must fit in exactly, and although you can do it as slowly as you want, you can only get one attempt and you are only allowed to reverse, not move forward.

I wasn’t told whether I had passed this section or not, just asked to wait for fifteen minutes. My file was taken from me. After fifteen minutes we were called one by one to the waiting buses – those who had failed were not called.

Road test There were three buses and three cars. Some of us were put in the buses. In each car there was a policeman, a female assistant who carried the file, and two students. One of the students drove the car, and each car had a bus following it.

The road test takes about five minutes. Throughout the test, the engine is not allowed to stall. If you make a mistake such as forgetting to signal, you fail. When the policeman says “Halas” (finish), you stop the car, park, and the student from behind you takes your place, and another student from the bus gets in the back seat. Of the thirty or so students, half failed.

Licence I wasn’t told immediately if I had passed or failed. I returned to the main building where the theory test was held, and waited until my name was called out. I paid a hundred and fifty riyals and was given my driving licence.

Now all I have to do is persuade my husband to buy me a car!

See also:

Driving in Qatar: Practical information

Driving - Qatar style

Book flights, hotels or cars with Expedia.

Qatar Visitor Bookstore

Tags

Qatar Doha Middle East driving test