Doha: The Assistant Director of the Media and Traffic Awareness Department, Colonel Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba, has said that the number of visitors to the Sealine area has increased recently and some of these visitors in their gatherings encourage youth for more reckless driving stunts which have resulted in many accidents and injuries.
Odaiba said that the drive is continued and the most prominent violations at the Sealine area include reckless driving, drifting and hiding number plates of vehicles.
“On January 17, the General Directorate of Traffic seized 407 vehicles for committing various grave traffic violations in the Sealine area. All the violators will be sent to Public Prosecution after completing necessary legal procedures,” said Colonel Odaiba.
Speaking to a local channel yesterday, he pointed out that a number of youngsters asked for an arena for drifting and provision of similar activities in the area so that they could join and enjoy those activities in a safe environment. The official said that the Department had sent all the requests to the authorities concerned.
He described the reckless behaviour of drivers at the Sealine area as a suicide, saying that the photos and videos of accidents usually shared and circulated on social media had made people think that there were rampant accidents in the Sealine area.
“The Department’s operation in the camping areas will continue until April as per the plan,” said Colonel Odaiba recalling in this context frequent visits and awareness campaigns by the Traffic Department, in addition to awareness drive through social media in order to check recklessness driving behaviour among youth.
He also stressed that reckless driving by some adventuring motorists endangering their lives and others was not acceptable, noting that traffic patrols are present in various camping areas and play their role effectively in protecting lives and properties of the people.
In the last two weeks, the General Directorate of Traffic has apprehended a number of reckless drivers and seized their vehicles in the Sealine area.
Major traffic violations include reckless driving, drifting and hiding vehicle’s number plates among others that endanger the lives of people and the property of road users. Reckless drivers are also be referred to the Public Prosecution to take legal actions against them according to the type of violation they committed, the MoI said in a post on its official social media accounts. Five traffic accidents took place in Sealine area ten days ago with no deaths but one serious injury.