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Hisham Aljundi
Doha
People driving without a licence issued by the General Directorate of Traffic (GDT) risks hefty fine and stringent punishment, Traffic Department officials have said.
During the weekly seminar on Sunday as part of the summer campaign"Accident-free summer", Captain Khalid Mubarak al Khulaifi, Head of Dukhan Traffic Department, said:"Driving without a valid driver's licence issued by the concerned authorities in Qatar can attract severe penalties such as hefty fine or imprisonment, with no prospect of reconciliation at all."
Captain Khulaifi reminded that the Article 29 of the Traffic Law for the year 2007 stipulates that 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.
In all 143 violations for driving without a licence have been recorded since the beginning of this year.
Colonel Mohammed Radi al Hajri, Director of Traffic Awareness Department, said some cases are exempted from these provisions such as tourists or visitors who hold accredited international driving licence.
"Visitors and tourists holding non-Qatari valid driving licences and who undertake to submit such licences to the licensing authority within 15 days from the date of entry in the country, to be held for the period in which they are allowed to stay in the country or a period specified by the Licensing Authority," he added.
The officers said visitors can also obtain a temporary driving licence valid for three months, in which they must undergo a driving test by the Traffic Department.
The officers also stressed the fact that allowing another person to drive a car without having a driving licence can expose the car owner to legal liability.
"This also includes companies who give their employees a car before they acquire a driving licence which will put the company and the employee under legal liability and both the company and employee can be slapped with hefty fines," said Captain Khulaifi.
Nevertheless, motorists who already have a driving licence but don't carry it along with them while driving will be slammed with a fine of QR300.
"Motorists must always carry their driving licence on them and should only be driving the vehicles they are permitted to drive. So, a licence to drive automatic transmission vehicles doesn't enable a motorist to drive a manual transmission vehicle," Colonel Hajri said.
He noted that a person holding a licence for any of light, heavy or equipment vehicles is not permitted to drive other vehicles.
He pointed out that juveniles being caught for driving without a licence will be transferred to the Juvenile Police Department for further legal measures.
