Education vital for road safety in the UAE

"The first half of 2006 witnessed a sharp rise in the number of road accidents and fatalities resulting in 156 deaths, a death every 28 hours, compared to a death every 36 hours last year,' said Mr. Mohammed Abdah, Senior Traffic Safety Engineer, Roads & Transport Authority, Dubai.

"Improvement in road network quality and enforcement of law by the authorities must go hand in hand with education efforts to make the public, both motorists and pedestrians, aware of basic road etiquette to avoid life and economic losses," he added.

The "Safe and Defensive Driving" lecture was held at S.S. Lootah Group headquarters in Dubai as part of Lootah BCGas' "The Thursday Teacher" weekly series of Health, Safety and Environment awareness programs. Over 50 senior managers and employees attended the lecture Eng. Abdah presented participants in the, over the hour, program with statistics and a number of video clips that portray common mistakes that lead to road accidents and deaths in Dubai. Safe and defensive driving techniques to help negotiate traffic more intelligently and avoiding fatal accidents were the key issues presented.

"Speed is the main cause of road accidents in 80% of the cases," said Eng. Abdah." "Community involvement is crucial to change driving behavior and keep Dubai roads safe for motorists and pedestrians."

Eng. Rashid Lootah, Director, S. S. Lootah Contracting, commended RTA for its support to the program and joining hands with private organizations to increase awareness of the importance of road safety for the community.

"Education is vital for road safety in the UAE, personal interaction programs are more effective in raising employees' awareness about behavioral issues such as safe driving and road etiquette," said Eng. Rashid Lootah. "Our corporate Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) principles are part of the enduring values set by our founder and chairman, Haj Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Lootah, they to guide our business, social and environmental practices at all levels."

S.S. Lootah's "The Thursday Teacher" weekly series of Health, Safety and Environment awareness programs aims to provide employees with information and tips through personal interaction with facilitators and lecturers on HSE related topics. Passing useful information and tips to other colleagues, family members and friends is often reported making the program remarkably successful in improving HSE day-to-day life practices at both corporate and community levels.