Students urged to adopt traffic safety habits

More than 1,500 students from 23 schools participate in campaign as part of Gulf Traffic Week

Dubai - Schoolchildren gasped in awe as a car flipped 360 degrees with two fifth graders seated inside. No it wasn’t a moving car on a highway, but a simulation vehicle that was installed at JSS International School at Al Barsha in Dubai to promote safety in wearing seat belts while driving.

To instil in students the importance of wearing a seat belts while being seated in a moving car, officials from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) placed a simulation machine on the school campus on Monday. More than 1,500 students from 23 different private schools across Dubai participated in the awareness campaign. Traffic safety awareness campaigns are now going to have greater focus on children and young adults.

“Schools have always been a focal point of our campaigns, but we’d now like to intensify it for these groups,” said Deema Hussain, Traffic Awareness Manager at the RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency.

Roads and Transport Authority officials distribute traffic safety booklets among students. — Supplied photo

JSS international School Principal James Richard said: “This year, 23 schools participated in the programme and the students found it very educative and fun. Students understood that seat belts were important, even in the back seats of the cars.

“If children of today are taught about traffic safety for tomorrow, we can avoid a whole lot of accidents that will take place in future in Dubai.” 

Husain Al Banna, Director of Traffic, RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency, said: “The close cooperation with the Dubai Educational Zone and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority has assisted the awareness efforts of the Traffic Department in reaching out to schools across Dubai, and raising the awareness of students, school bus drivers and the teaching staff. We have coordinated with the JSS School in staging open events comprising a lecture and training workshop, and distributed Salama monthly magazine of which 10,000 copies are printed and distributed to schools, child centres and some public and private entities in Dubai.”

 Smart Govt, Smart Awareness

The Traffic Department has been delivering awareness messages via emails to all employees of the Dubai government in cooperation with the Dubai Smart Government. “The department has also transmitted awareness messages via screens in Dubai sports clubs in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, and in some cinemas in cooperation with Emaar Properties. It has also broadcast awareness flashes via social media sites, RTA customer service centres, in addition to awareness messages exhibited through advertising screens at driving institutes, auto showrooms, and scores of websites lending support to the events of the Traffic Department,” said Al Banna.

“Besides these electronic endeavours, the Traffic Department has intensified field activities to ensure success of events of the Gulf Traffic Week in cooperation with the Emirates General Petroleum Corporation (Emarat) to display awareness footage on electronic screens fitted in all stations. Efforts also included workers’ gears bearing the Gulf Traffic Week’s logo, and distributing awareness leaflets about The Number 3 Campaign aimed at educating motorists about the main causes of traffic accidents, which accounted for 63 per cent of traffic-related fatalities over the past two years. “They were also sensitised on how to cope with the malfunctioning of the cruise controller and the findings of scientific studies about the last moments preceding crashes,” added Al Banna. -news@khaleejtimes.com