Traffic Department Transactions Rise 5.7% in 2011

Doha, January 19 (QNA) - The number of transactions done at the Traffic Department of the State of Qatar in 2011 have increased by 5.7% compared to the annual figure registered in 2010, according to the latest traffic statistics released here. The number of transactions executed in 2011 was 3,080,395, an increase of 165,769 or 5.7%, over the 2010 figure of 2,914,626. The Traffic Department's efficiency - the time taken by counter staff to attend customers - has also increased with 475 transactions being completed in 60 minutes in 2011 compared to 450 the previous year. The counter staff completed on an average eight transactions in one minute compared to seven the previous year. Traffic department officials announced the statistics for year 2011 here yesterday. Director of Traffic Department Brigadier Muhammed Saad Al Kharji; National Traffic Safety Committee Secretary General Brigadier Muhammed Al Malki, Public Relations Department Director Colonel Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah and Ministry of Interior Chief of Statistics Colonel Ibrahim Al Sulaiti were present at the conference which detailed the comparative figures for the years 2011 and 2010. The number of deaths due to traffic accidents dropped by 10.6% in 2011 which noted 205 deaths compared to the 228 in 2010. This drop reaffirms the success of the traffic safety and awareness campaigns held by the Ministry of Interior in 2011. From the 205 who died in accidents 82 were drivers, 62 were passengers and 61 were pedestrians. The ratio of deaths due to traffic accidents per 100,000 persons also dropped to 9.8% in 2011 from 11.3% in 2010, a ratio change of -13.3%. The percentage of deaths due to traffic accidents from the total number of deaths in the country also dropped to 18% in 2011 from 19.1% in 2010. Qatar also has a low death ratio of 12.5% over an area of 1,000 square kilometers. The global ratio is 20 per 1,000 sq kms. (QNA)