While tailgating remains a growing concern among motorists, the overall driving perception has improved in Qatar, a recent study has found.

According to the findings of Qatar Road Safety Monitor, a unique perception study of driving behaviour in Qatar, positive observation trends include improved road infrastructure, lesser commute time and more driving enjoyment. Participants who responded to the study felt there has been some improvement in areas like dangerous driving, speeding, lane swerving and distracted driving.
The highlights of the survey over the last 6 months were presented yesterday by QIC Insured, which commissioned the bi-annual study.
Though there are several fields which require amelioration, the overall positive perception trends of driving in Qatar outweigh the negative ones in the most recent study conducted by Qatar Road Safety Monitor. The survey sets out to quantify perception trends of Qatar’s motorists about infrastructure, overall driving enjoyment, commute time and driving behaviour that are often linked to the cause of accidents in Qatar. The findings of the survey are based on the views of a representative sample of the residents of Qatar.
A large majority of the respondents (68%) said road infrastructure has improved over the last 6 months, leading to shorter commute time (67%) and more driving enjoyment (38%).
Dangerous driving has reduced over the last six months from 62% to 57%, they said. There has been a marginal improvement in the trend for distracted driving (85%) and speeding on the roads (74%). The trend for abrupt changing of lanes too seems to have dropped to 70% as stated by the respondents of the survey. However, the perception trend for tailgating appears unchanged over the last six months (76%).
Commenting on the findings of the survey, Deputy Group President & CEO- QIC MENA, Salem al -Mannai said: “It is indeed encouraging to observe that most of the dimensions included in the survey have developed in the right direction, which can be attributed to the various initiatives taken by the ministry (Ministry of Interior) for improving road safety in the State of Qatar. We are proud to be associated with this unique, long-term perception study, as it demonstrates the efforts of QIC Insured to actively support the creation of safer roads, in line with Qatar’s National Road Safety Strategy and Qatar National Vision 2030.”
According to him, while the observed trends are mainly positive, further efforts in education, enforcement and infrastructure improvement are needed by all stakeholders, public and private entities and media to inculcate the culture of road safety in Qatar. “This means working collaboratively across all elements of the road transport system and recognising that everybody has a role to play in improving road safety. It would also lay the foundations for a safe road transport system that will benefit future generations.”
The details of Qatar Road Safety Monitor can be found in the ‘featured’ section on: http://www.roadsafetyqatar.com/statistics/. The study will be repeated every six months with the next scheduled release slated for mid Q1/2017.