Traffic police to deploy more personnel as school reopen

The Ministry of Interior will deploy extra patrol officers across Qatar on September 12 to ensure smooth flow of vehicular traffic to handle the back-to-school rush. Most schools in the country -- including all independent schools and many private and community schools -- are scheduled to reopen on Sunday after the long summer holiday. The Ministry held a meeting with senior officials from the Traffic Department, Internal Security Force and Fazaa to for its action plan which will involve a significant increase in police personnel on the streets during peak traffic hours. Motorists are advised to exercise extra caution and be alert for both vehicles and students crossing the streets. The Ministry has plans to launch the next phase of its traffic safety awareness campaign in schools. The campaign, which began three years ago, targets school children and has helped reduce casualty rates caused by traffic accidents The next phase of the campaign will involve school-organized field trips to Rumailah Hospital where students will listen to various first-hand accounts from survivors of road accidents.