BY SACHIN KUMAR
DOHA: Despite restrictions imposed by the Traffic Department, the number of new driving licences issued is still high. Over 100,000 licences were issued last year in the country, showing the number of drivers is surging. A total of 105,100 licences were issued in 2014, according to Qatar Monthly Statistics bulletins of the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. It means about 8,700 licences are issued on average every month. Non-Qataris got the lion’s share, with over 90 percent of the licences issued to them.
Once they get the licence, many head to showrooms to buy new vehicles. Total vehicle registrations jumped by 44 percent in 2014 while registration of private vehicles rose 34 percent. The number of vehicles registered grew from 8,121 in January to 11,743 in December last year. Registration of private vehicles grew from 5,318 in January to 7,102 in December.
“Most of the expatriates buy cars that offer them higher mileage and resale value whereas Qatari buyers look for bigger and powerful cars,” a senior official of a car showroom told this newspaper. “Rising population is creating a rush for driving licences,” he said.
November and December saw more registration of vehicles as sale of vehicles usually goes up in the last leg of the year. Most car companies and dealers unveil offers to clear their old stock.
A lot of expatriates have complained that getting driving licence is very difficult now.
Driving schools in Qatar have adopted new measures to ensure that only deserving candidates are given licences.
Now they have introduced theory tests. Some schools have also installed cameras for parking tests so that every minute detail of driving test is captured, removing any chance of human error.
“Getting a driving licence is a Herculean task now. I failed in theory test in the first attempt and then failed in the road test three times. I could pass the road test in the fourth attempt,” said an expatriate who got the licence last month. Total registration for motorcycles stood at 1974 last year. Most bought in Qatar are power-bikes. The Peninsula
