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