A comprehensive traffic safety strategy to ensure a secure transport system for all road users in Qatar is bearing fruit with roads in the State becoming much safer over the past decade due to efforts taken by the concerned authorities.
The road accident mortality rate has fallen from 14 deaths per 100,000 people in 2013 to 5.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017, a figure lower than the National Traffic Safety Strategy of 6 deaths per 100,000 population until 2022.
The figures indicate Qatar is moving in the right direction and is placed at the forefront of Middle East countries in reducing the number of road accidents. This rate is well below the global average of 17.4 deaths per 100,000 people and in high-income countries of 9.2 per 100,000 people, despite the high number of vehicles and drivers in the country.
According to World Health Organization figures, nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year in the world and cause between 20 to 50 million non-fatal injuries. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds, it said. In the Gulf region, the figures showed that the Gulf states incur annual losses of more than $19bn as a result of road accidents, which represents 3.7 percent of the total global losses.
Amid huge economic boom in Qatar over the past two decades and the large population increase in record time as a result of rising numbers of workers, the traffic situation had become a concern for the Ministry of the Interior and a challenge that needed a systematic and thoughtful approach. With a forward-looking vision, the Traffic Law of 2007 was the starting point for the continuous success.
The formation of the National Committee for Traffic Safety in 2010, under the chairmanship of the Minister of the Interior, strengthened this march. The committee’s efforts culminated in the launch of the National Strategy for Traffic Safety in 2013 which reduced deaths resulting from accidents drastically.
After benefiting from the results of the comprehensive evaluation of the first operational plan, the Ministry of the Interior launched the Second Implementation Plan 2018-2022 for the National Strategy for Traffic Safety.
The second phase aims to reduce congestion by 5 percent per year, reduce infant mortality to 17 percent of total deaths by 2022 (32 percent in 2016), and begin implementing the UN sustainable development goals related to reducing congestion, improving traffic safety, and linking improved traffic safety with economic growth, national security and population policy.
It must be noted that the “accident-free summer” campaign launched by the Ministry of the Interior six weeks ago has been highlighting the Ministry’s interest in ensuring the safety and security of drivers and pedestrians and their property, and reducing the number of deaths and injuries resulting from traffic accidents. Qatar is moving ahead to be the most advanced country in the field of roads, transport and traffic safety.
