Investigating Cell Phone Use While Driving in Qatar

摘要

Traffic accidents are one of the most significant challenges of modern societies, placing a enormous humanitarian burden on individuals, families, communities and countries. In Qatar, road traffic accidents kill approximately 200 people every year and injure or disable many others. In 2011, road accidents resulted in 586 major injuries and 4,723 minor injuries in Qatar. Studies have shown that the use of cell phones while driving can impair driving performance, which can cause a serious traffic safety issue. Studies have also shown that with the increase in general use of cell phone, phoning while driving has also increased. The objective of this paper is to investigate the frequency of using cell phone while driving on Qatar's roads through an observational survey with a random sample of drivers to understand the magnitude of the problem. This study results a baseline rate of cell phone use in Qatar. This baseline rate will be critical in studying the effect of future plans or strategies that can help to minimize the impact of cell phone use while driving in Qatar, including new policies, enforcement, and public campaigns. This goal was achieved through a statistically representative observation sample of cell phone using behaviors from drivers on Qatar's roads.