Under the Slogan of “Your Choice Determines Your Destiny”

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Sunday, March 8th 2015 [ME NewsWire]

Lt. General Saif Abdullah Al Sha’far, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior, launched the events of the 31st Unified GCC Traffic Week, under the slogan “Your Choice Determines Your Destiny”, at Yas Mall this morning. The inauguration was attended by Major General Mohammed bin Al Awadhi Al Menhali, Director General of Police Operations; Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Director General of  Central Operations; Brigadier Sheikh Mohammad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Director of Peripheral Regions Directorate; Brigadier Ghaith Hassan Al Zaabi, Director General, Traffic Coordination Directorate General at the Ministry of Interior; Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate; department directors and division heads at the Ministry and Abu Dhabi Police.  Strategic partners of Abu Dhabi Traffic Department and delegations of traffic departments from other GCC countries also attended the event.

The opening ceremony featured the launch of the themed video for Traffic Week, highlighting its slogan. The video also included segments that highlighted the importance of the personal responsibility in curbing traffic accidents, making the right choices by following traffic laws, not exceeding the designated speed limits, leaving enough space between vehicles, paying attention and not being distracted by mobile phones while driving, and using the seatbelt.

In a keynote speech during the ceremony, Brigadier Ghaith Hassan Al Zaabi, Director General, Traffic Coordination Directorate General at the Ministry of Interior, reiterated that celebrating the 31st Unified GCC Traffic Week comes as a part of the efforts aimed at elevating the levels of traffic awareness for members of society. The Traffic Week is to educate the community regarding the dangers of traffic accidents and to encourage abiding by traffic laws, as they are the shield protecting the public from accidents.

Brigadier Al Zaabi confirmed that the traffic systems have witnessed positive improvements, thanks to the support of the policing commands, traffic and patrol departments in the UAE and the strategic partners.  Despite the increase in the number of registered vehicles in the UAE, there has been a significant reduction in the rate of traffic accidents and injuries caused by accidents.  He pointed that the increase in registered vehicles is a natural and expected outcome of the rise in population and economy. “From our side, and collaboration with our strategic partners, we take all measures in order to prepare for this increase and the subsequent increase in traffic on the roads,” he said.

He said that the slogan of the GCC Traffic Week urges the public to adhere to traffic laws. Calling upon drivers to be safe and to be watchful for their own safety and the safety of other road users, Brigadier Al Zaabi also stressed the keenness of the Ministry of Interior to continuously strive to achieve its ambitious strategy and to preserve the lives of road users by spreading the concepts of traffic safety.  He also urged the public to benefit from the awareness programs and exhibitions, which will be held during the traffic week.

Social Responsibility

For his part, Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate, reiterated that the slogan of the traffic week reflects the efforts of the authorities concerned with traffic safety in the GCC countries. This comes within the context of renewing the call for all sectors of society to modify their traffic behaviors, and to promote the efforts made to preserve lives and property, and to limit the impacts of traffic accidents both morally and financially.

He added that traffic safety is a big part of the directorate’s strategic goals, as it is considered one of the most important contemporary issues. The directorate adopted traffic safety into its various programs and activities, due to its prominent role in limiting the loss of financial and human resources caused by traffic accidents.

Brigadier Eng. Al Harithi stated that the outcomes of the directorate’s traffic safety strategy were very positive, compared to statistics from the same time period last year, and were made possible through multiple initiatives and activities. Perhaps the most prominent of these initiatives was the “Together” campaign, Abu Dhabi Traffic’s program to reduce traffic accidents. This program included leveraging both traditional and social media outlets, where the efforts of the directorate’s staff helped to reduce the severity of accidents, run overs, and accidents caused by speeding, recklessness and lack of attention.

Launch of Awareness Events

The ceremony witnessed the launch of Traffic Week’s first event, the “X-Ray”. The “X-Ray” is an awareness demonstration which highlights the right and wrong decisions that a driver makes while changing his speed. The event also shows the ramifications of exceeding the designated speed limits, and also discusses the traffic achievements realized by the MoI over the past years, and its prominent role in reducing the rates fatalities in traffic accidents.

Outstanding Honors

Lt. General Al Sha’far, accompanied by Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, honored the schools that contributed to increasing traffic safety amongst its students under the umbrella of the “Together’’ program.  The schools included: Aishah bint Abi Bakr Secondary School in Abu Dhabi, Mazyad Elementary School in Al Ain, and Qatr Al Nahda School in the Western Region.

The honoring also recognized the ideal officer, ideal policeman, ideal policewoman, ideal male driver, ideal female driver, ideal special needs male driver, ideal special needs female driver, ideal bus driver, ideal heavy trucks driver, and ideal truck driver.

Lt. General Al Sha’far also honored the strategic partners of this year’s version of Traffic Week including Emirates Driving Company, Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), Saaed Traffic Systems, TATWEER for Traffic Assets and Systems, and Baniyas Mall for their efforts in supporting all of the Traffic Week’s programs and activities.

Traffic Exhibition

Lt. General Al Sha’far inaugurated the accompanying exhibition and toured the pavilions that showcased a gallery of the smart systems used in the field of automated controls and vehicles of the Abu Dhabi Traffic Police, alongside educational competitions and videos. The exhibits directed positive road behavior in innovative methods that are reflective of reality and shed light on the psychological, physical, and financial effects caused by accidents. The programs were prepared as part of the “Together” program that the Traffic and Patrols Directorate launched in 2012 with the aim of limiting traffic accidents.

The exhibition also showcased innovative awareness applications, including a damaged car with a quick response code that provides details of the accident when scanned with a smartphone. The exhibition also included “Shadow Game”, an interactive awareness presentation for the whole family that educates players on how to make the most appropriate decisions as a road user.  

The events also included an “interactive timetable”, a wall that holds the numeric history of achievements realized during the last 10 years. The exhibition also showcased the smart patrol car, Abu Dhabi Police cars, school bus and car simulators provided by Emirates Driving Company.

Names of Honorees

Ideal Officer: Lieutenant Mansour Sultan Al Marbou’i (Al Ain Traffic Section)

Ideal Policeman: First Warrant Officer Abdullah Omar Al Amoudi (Traffic Engineering and Road Safety Department)

First Warrant Officer Ali Muhammad Ali Al Marzouqi (Protocols Section)

Sergeant Muhammad Juma’a Al Shamesi (Western Region Traffic Section)

Ideal Policewoman: Sergeant Shafiah Hamdan Al Shamesi (Traffic Engineering and Road Safety Department)

Ideal Driver: Said Abu Al Lail Ali (Tunisia)

Ideal Driver (Truck Category): Bir Bad Shah Muaz Khan

Ideal Driver (Special Needs Male Category): Khaled Saleh Abdul Qader

Ideal Driver (Taxi Drivers Category) Waqib Bad Shah

Ideal Driver (Heavy Truck Category): Abdullah Majid Shah.

Police Collaborators

Engineer Ahmad Khaled Bu Rahmah

Muhammad Ahmad Abdul Salam

Saif Salim Al Mansouri

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

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