The Traffic Department is planning to introduce a point-to-point radar system on highways to catch erring drivers, a senior official of the Department said yesterday. The plan is to install radars at close distances to monitor motorists who tend to speed up immediately after crossing a radar point. They will be caught by the next radar, installed at a distance of three or four kilometres, if they surpass the permitted speed limit. “It is common for motorists here to slow down as they approach a radar and pick up speed when they are at a safe distance from the camera. The point-to-point radar system aims to curb this practice,” Col Mohamed Marafi, Safety, Planning and Radars in-charge at the Department told this newspaper yesterday. “The project is currently in the experimental phase and we will implement it once the trial is successfully over,” he added. He said the radars to be used in the new system would be more sophisticated compared to the existing ones. “They will be able to sense the speed of a vehicle from a long distance. Drivers would become more cautious if they are kept under close surveillance through a long stretch of the road,” added Marafi. He claimed that installation of more radars on highways and intersections had helped bring down the number of accidents. “Only minor accidents were reported in the city during the Eid holidays. It shows that people have become more cautious on the roads,” said the official. The Department has prepared an emergency plan to reduce the number of accidents in view of the unstable weather conditions expected in the coming days. “There have been no rains but they are expected anytime. Our patrolling team is ready to meet any emergency arising from the changing weather conditions and the team will be stationed at all major spots to ensure the smooth flow of traffic,” said Marafi. He advised motorists to avoid driving in rain or fog as far as possible. “Just be careful if you are trapped in inclement weather. Drive slow. If you speed up, the chances of an accident multiply. There are some drivers who don’t slow down even if they see a car in front with the hazard lights flashing,” said Marafi. He, however, said the Department had not been encouraging the practice of using the hazard lights during rain or fog. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=December2009&file=Local_News2009120324758.xml

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar