Due to the rapid growth in the number of cars in the country, road safety has become one of the most important issues for the authorities. To make roads in Qatar safer and decongested the authorities have put in place a very robust traffic law, hundreds of professional categories have been barred from obtaining a license and recently it was announced that every expat regardless of citizenship must take the driving test to obtain a driving license in Qatar.
For the sake of deterrence and enforcement of traffic regulations, penalties in the form of fines are common but there are some traffic violations that are imprisonable here in Qatar. Today, we bring you a list of such offences:
Number plates:
Article 12 of the Qatari law states, “Each motor vehicle shall carry immediately after its registration and before its operation two number plates issued by the Issuing Authority, one of which shall be fixed to the front of the vehicle and the other to the rear. For a trailer or semi-trailer it is sufficient to fix one number plate to the rear with the same number as the towing vehicle.” Anyone who is found to be driving a vehicle in contravention of this law can be sentenced either to imprisonment for not less than one (1) month and not more than three (3) years or to a fine of not less than ten thousand (10,000) riyals and not more than fifty thousand (50,000) riyals.
Driver’s license:
Per Article 29 of Law No. 19 of 2007 Regarding the Traffic Law, “No motor vehicle shall be driven on the road unless the driver has obtained a driving license from the Licensing Authority entitling the holder to drive such a vehicle.” There are exemptions to this rule, such as armed forces, police, citizen of GCC countries. Violators of this law can be sentenced either to imprisonment for not less than one (1) month and not more than three (3) years or to a fine of not less than ten thousand (10,000) riyals and not more than fifty thousand (50,000) riyals.
Allowing a person with no driving license to drive:
The law (Article 38) stipulates:“No owner of a motor vehicle or keeper shall allow a person who has no driving license to drive the vehicle.” A person found to be doing so can be sentenced either to imprisonment for not less than one (1) month and not more than three (3) years or to a fine of not less than ten thousand (10,000) riyals and not more than fifty thousand (50,000) riyals.
Driving in the wrong direction:
Driving in the opposite direction to the flow of traffic is not permitted by law, Article 45 makes it illegal. The article elaborates on it further as follows:
“Reversing on a public highway shall not be permitted, except in emergency, beyond a short distance not exceeding twenty (20) metres, and after giving the necessary signal and making sure the road is empty. If necessary, the driver may ask someone else for guidance, but may not enter a junction.” If none of these conditions are met and you still drive in the wrong direction, by law you will be liable for imprisonment for not less than one (1) month and not more than three (3) years or to a fine of not less than ten thousand (10,000) riyals and not more than fifty thousand (50,000) riyals.
Illegal racing:
Article 50 of the law states, “The racing of motor vehicles, bicycles or persons on the roads is prohibited except with written permission from the Licensing Authority. The terms determined by this authority must be complied with. This authorization shall not result in any responsibility on the part of the Licensing Authority in respect of any damage to property or injury to persons, nor shall it exempt the person who organized the race or its management from that responsibility.” This makes racing without due authorization on Qatari roads illegal and punishable, people found to be doing so can for imprisoned for not less than one (1) month and not more than three (3) years or a fine of not less than ten thousand (10,000) riyals and not more than fifty thousand (50,000) riyals may be imposed on them.
Most traffic tickets are issued for minor offences – including tickets for speeding and parking violations. Normally these can be settled by paying the fine amount at MOI or Traffic Department.
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