Social media plays its role in traffic awareness campaign

DOHA: The Ministry of Interior is fully employing its social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook or  Instagram to make the “Accident-Free Summer” traffic awareness campaign more effective.

Many media channels, local media and local non-Arabic radios are also participating in the campaign. It also includes local, foreign and Asian newspapers as well as social media. Tomorrow, the Ministry will start campaign with a new highlight as the campaign is being run under different themes changed every week to sensitize motorists and general public about rampant traffic violations.

As part of the ongoing “Accident-Free Summer” campaign, the General Directorate of Traffic in collaboration with Qatar Scientific Club has conducted awareness lectures for students.

The Ministry through its social media accounts has published a number of posts encouraging people to be part of this campaign which launched two weeks ago and includes campaign on violations of stopping in a yellow box junction and using of mobile phones while driving.

On post on the Ministry’s official Twitter account says: “Using a mobile phone in any way while driving is a serious matter, be careful about your safety and your road partners”.  “Engaging in the mobile phone may cost you your life, be careful and do not endanger your life and others,” the ministry warned in another post.

Among the posts related to stopping in yellow boxes the Ministry asked motorists to “avoid standing in the yellow box to avoid obstruction of traffic”. It also advised motorists “not to block the way in a yellow box.”

The first week of the campaign focused on stopping in yellow boxes and called on motorists to not block the way in yellow box. The second week focused on using mobile while driving and said that more than half of fatal traffic accidents and serious injuries are caused due to the using of mobile phones while driving.