Distracted driving has become a serious threat to road safety everywhere in the world with the widespread use of mobile phones.
If you are using a mobile phone while driving, you are approximately four times more likely to be involved in a crash than a driver who is not using a phone, according to a study. Text messaging appears to have an even more severe impact on driving behaviour and crash risk.
In Qatar, as in many countries, it is illegal to use a mobile phone held in the hand while driving. Despite that one sees so many drivers are doing just that on Qatar’s roads.
Two of the main causes for road traffic accidents in Qatar are the use of mobile phones and speeding, a senior official working with the National Campaign for Road Accidents Prevention said recently. He warned that the use of mobile phones whether for talking, texting or any other purpose considerably diverted the attention of motorists and negatively affected their performance on the road.
An application that can restrict people from using mobile phones while behind the wheel should be a great boon in this context. The Qatar Mobility Innovation Centre (QMIC) deserves praise over its plans to launch such an application.
QMIC, which has been working on the project since 2014, plans to embed a new technology in a mobile through a software that can detect whether the person is driving or not.
The adaptability of the technology remains a major problem, however.  QMIC does not expect many people would be willing to use this app on their phones.
Therefore, it has decided to focus on enterprises for its wider adoption. With this technology, the enterprises, it is hoped, can control the phones of their employees.
To make the programme successful, each enterprise must have a policy or regulation of restricting the drivers and employees from using the phone while driving. The managers can set the phones and instruct the employees when to use the phone and when it cannot be used. The software can detect any violation on the part of the employees.
Meanwhile, in an encouraging move, the Ministry of Interior has launched a discussion forum on its website to address the risks of using mobile phones while driving. It shows that the ministry is fully aware of the dangerous trend and is in search of measures to stop it.   
“It’s a widespread practice to use mobile phones for talking, texting or using applications while driving a car. This wrong behaviour has great risks, which may end in disastrous consequences,” says the ministry, noting that despite the efforts made by traffic authorities and prohibiting the use of mobile phones while driving, the practice is on the rise, especially with the spread of different apps and smartphone games. The discussion forum seeks suggestions and comments from the public.

In Qatar, as in many countries, it is illegal to use a mobile phone held in the hand while driving