Qatar’s Ministry of Interior (“MOI”) has announced that beginning Sunday, September 3, 2023, a unified radar system will be deployed to automatically detect mobile phone use and failures to wear seatbelts in cars. The system’s soft activation began on Sunday, August 27, 2023. During the soft activation period, violators will be sent SMS messages regarding the violation, but no fines will be applied until the official activation occurs.
The General Directorate of Traffic has deployed a fleet of patrol vehicles with the latest cameras on Qatar’s roads. With their highly efficient and advanced sensors, the vehicles can detect violations. These new vehicles have been brought in to reduce road accidents and prevent violations. Most roads in Qatar are monitored through cameras installed as part of the Tala’a project, as well as mobile cameras.
According to the MOI, using mobile phones while driving is a major cause of road accidents in Qatar. Careless driving due to mobile phone use accounts for a major share of total vehicular accidents. Using or holding a mobile phone or any other device in hand while driving or becoming busy watching any visual in the vehicle will result in a fine of QR500. The same penalty is applied if children below 10 are allowed to occupy the front seat. Failure to wear a seatbelt while driving will also result in a fine of QR500.
