Qatar has one of the highest rates of road traffic deaths globally. Unlike the West, these are not caused primarily by drunk driving, but by unsafe practices such as not wearing seatbelts, speeding and, more recently, texting while driving. It has gotten to the point where it’s surprising not to see someone driving with one hand, mobile phone in the other.

Because of the collectivist nature of Arab society, there is a need to be constantly connected. Hence mobile phone usage is huge in Qatar, even more so than the West. The tragedy is that most people are causally text chatting while driving – putting their lives and the lives of others on the road, at risk, oftentimes for nothing more than sharing an insignificant emoji.