A road traffic accident occurs every minute in the world, which takes the number of annual road traffic accidents in the world to a staggering 5.25 million. No wonder road traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of human fatalities in the world. An overwhelming majority of the road traffic accidents occur due to speeding and rash driving, followed by poor weather, and usage of mobile phones while driving.
In Qatar the Traffic Department has put various measures in place to minimise the occurrence of accidents, these include mobile traffic radars, speed cams, and also the introduction of hefty penalties against erring motorists. Accidents regardless of how minor they might be are to be reported to the authorities immediately.
Since accidents do not come with a warning, motorists are advised to always carry the following documents with them:
- Vehicle registration papers
- Valid driving license
- Car insurance papers
In case of an accident, these are the documents the first reporting officer will seek from you. Make sure you carry these documents, and all these must be valid and up to date.
If you face the misfortune of being involved in an accident, in addition to making sure that you possess all the documents, you must not panic and handle the situation with tact. Below are the few things that you must do in case of an accident:
Check for injuries
Make sure to check yourself and any passengers travelling with you for any injuries. If the injuries are minor administer a first-aid until the professional emergency response teams arrive at the scene. If the accident involves another vehicle, check the passengers of that vehicle for the same. If the injuries look bad make absolutely sure that none of the injured are moved until the emergency response teams arrive at the site of the accident.
Move your vehicle if possible:
Accidents generally lead to swirling traffic jams, if your vehicle is in working condition and you and other passengers haven’t suffered any major injuries make sure you move the vehicle out of the main road to allow the traffic to move on smoothly.
Make sure you turn the hazard warning lights on to warn other motorists that there has been an accident.
If the accident is a major one and there are people still trapped inside the car, do not attempt to move the car. The arrival of emergency response teams should be awaited and the injured should be ferried to the nearest hospitals as soon as possible to avoid exacerbation of any injuries.
Remain calm and talk:
If by sheer good fortune, there are no injuries to either of the parties involved in the accident. Do not lose your cool and talk to the other driver. Agree to get the vehicles off the road and listen to the other’s person POV to ascertain what caused the accident. Shouting or abusing will only exacerbate the matter and delay the resolution. It is not necessary that the accident was caused due to recklessness of the driver, it is quite possible that a technical or mechanical fault could have caused the accident.
Report the accident:
If the gravity of the accident is serious, make sure that you report the accident to the authorities as soon as possible, so that police can arrive at the scene and make a decision. By filing a report, it becomes ensured that action will be taken against the guilty party. A minor accident, on the other hand, can be resolved amiably between the two parties without the involvement of law enforcement officers
In the case of a major accident, it’s strongly advised to file an accident report to help the police make a decision. A report ensures action can be taken against the guilty party. However, you can also report minor accident through the Metrash2 mobile app service should you choose to do so.
Get photographic proof of the damage:
To make an insurance claim, the insurer will definitely ask for proof of the accident. The best approach is to take pictures of the damage and note all the details that you can recall about the accident. The pictures, extent of the damage, and the location of the damage will go a long way to prove that you may not have caused the accident. Make sure that your insurer covers the accident. If you are able to stick around the accident scene, that is if you are not badly injured, wait for the police to turn up and give them your statement pertaining to the accident.
Emergency numbers in Qatar
Police: 999, (+974) 4489-0699/4489-0670
Ambulance: 999
Credit: Qatar Day / Mohammed Azher
Date – Time:Feb, 2018
Source URL:https://www.qatarday.com/blog/information/things-to-do-in-case-you-are-in-an-accident-in-qatar/32005