Arab Traffic Week kicks off with safety awareness top priority

ABU DHABI // Arab Traffic Week kicked off on Sunday with an exhibition, presentations and poem recitations promoting safety awareness.

The Traffic and Patrols Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police and the Saaed Society to Reduce Traffic Accidents organised the event with the theme, We Care About Your Safety.

This week’s activities at Dalma Mall were aimed at enhancing traffic safety and encouraging motorists to abide by traffic laws so that most accidents would be prevented.

Brig Khalifa Al Khaili, deputy director of traffic and patrols, said speeding was the main cause of 66 traffic accidents in the past three months in Abu Dhabi, which resulted in 17 dead and 14 seriously injured.

The loss of lives and property due to traffic accidents presented a serious challenge in the Arab world, he said.

Brig Al Khaili said it was vital to organise traffic awareness campaigns and apply best practices to save lives.

“We’re organising Arab Traffic Week for the first time as part of our efforts to preserve lives and spread the concept of traffic safety,” said Col Jamal Al Ameri, executive director of the Saaed Society. “We’d like to highlight the need to adhere to traffic laws, especially abiding by the speed limits here.”

Fifteen schools will be taking part in the Arab Traffic Week activities that will run until April 21. Among the exhibitors were Saaed Society, Emirates Transport, Emirates Driving Company, the Vehicles and Drivers’ Licensing Department of Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Education Council and Healthpoint are some of the exhibitors.

This initiative was line with the social communication approach to improve road users’ behaviour to reduce the main causes of traffic accidents and preserve lives and property, said Col Al Ameri, who is also the head of public relations at the Abu Dhabi directorate.

“We also have a problem with the Abu Dhabi to Al Ghuwaifat Road, one of most dangerous roads in the emirate,” he said. “There are ongoing road works and young drivers are not extra cautious when driving in fog, sandstorms and rain. We need to build traffic safety awareness to prevent accidents during changing weather conditions.”

Speed limits on three parts of that road were reduced as of November 15, to improve safety conditions and reduce traffic flow as work continues to widen the road.