Tomorrow’s drivers learn today

Supported by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and Abu Dhabi Police, a global carmaker in the UAE is teaching essential road safety rules to thousands of children across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

“These children will one day be motorists on our roads. We therefore need to instil good road safety habits and ensure they are aware of their responsibilities as pedestrians, passengers and future drivers from an early age to ensure safer roads for the future,” said Leanne Blanckenberg, Corporate Communications Manager for BMW Group in the Middle East.

Following the success of last year’s campaign, in which 5,000 schoolchildren aged 6-9 years old learnt the fundamentals of road safety, BMW Group Middle East said in a media statement that it, together with local UAE importers, AGMC and Abu Dhabi Motors, and Ciel Events are trying to educate thousands more youngsters in the UAE.

Taking place over two weeks, and with the strong support of the RTA, KHDA and Abu Dhabi Police, this year’s edition of ‘My First License – I Know My Road Rules’ will educate and ensure a further 3,000 students from nine schools across the UAE are well-grounded in their understanding of basic road safety rules.

Deema Hussein, Traffic Awareness Manager for the RTA, welcomed the campaign: “Statistics show that the education of children as future road users needs to be an ongoing priority, and as such, forms part of our broader efforts to making the UAE’s roads safer. No organisation, government entity, business or humanitarian group can tackle or solve the road safety crisis alone so we are happy to work together with the organisers to continue this innovative road safety learning programme that aims to instil good habits from an early age, which will protect them later in life.”

Col. Jamal Salem Al Amri, Head of Public Relations, Abu Dhabi Police GHQ (General Head Quarters), said: “Children are extremely vulnerable and it is our duty to ensure that they have the right guidance to better their lives and their future. Programmes such as ‘My First License – I Know My Road Rules’ are created to set them on the right path. Our support for this event stems from the fact that as a policy to intend to reach out to all sections of society and to be able to support more conscious efforts to build a better environment, whether it is on the roads or on any other place. It also strengthens our efforts to ensure that we have safer roads now and in the future.”

The unique hands-on educational experience kicked off earlier this week in Dubai, and the programme will move onto Sharjah and then Abu Dhabi before concluding on May 26, 2016.

A learning drive for kids

To create an exciting environment for the children, a mini road travel scenario is replicated within each school, including a network of road signs, zebra crossings, a roundabout and traffic signals. An instructor runs through basic road safety rules and teaches the youngsters the difference between key road signs. Using miniature cars, the students then learn to navigate the road network by the RTA and police, who highlight how the road safety rules that were discussed in class previously can be applied in practice.

After successfully completing the challenge, and to make the experience even more engaging, each student is awarded an envelope containing a personalized plastic license card with their name and photo which is endorsed by the Abu Dhabi police, RTA  and KHDA, alongside an interactive story book on road rules and a “We Know Our Road Rules” magnet.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), car accidents are the second biggest contributor to fatalities in the UAE and continue to grow every year.

According to UAE traffic department figures, motorists between the ages of 22 and 30 were to blame for 21 deaths on the UAE’s roads since January, and more than 100,000 serious traffic offences were recorded in Abu Dhabi during the first quarter of this year, of which 18 per cent were for unfastened seat belts and 10 per cent for mobile phone use.

Meanwhile, Dubai Police recorded 49,643 cases of people using their mobile phones while driving last year, a 9 and 29 per cent increase compared to 2014 and 2013 respectively.

The participating schools this year are: Wellington International School, Victoria International School, Al Ittihad Private School, The Apple International School, Al Ameen School, Al Bateen School, Gems Royal Dubai, Cambridge International and Winchester School.

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