Abu Dhabi Police has taken to the information superhighway to try and reduce accidents on the capital’s roads.
Residents of the UAE are seven times more likely to die in a car accident than compared to those in the UK, according to the World Health Organisation. The second major cause of deaths in the UAE, and primary cause of death among children, traffic-related deaths are a serious cause for concern in the capital.
In response, the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police has launched its ‘Together’ campaign on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to attempt to raise the standard of driving on the city’s roads and increase road safety.
Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harthi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police, stressed the need for the police to use social networking sites to get its message across, due to their ability to reach the largest possible number of people.
“This highlights our leadership’s vision to harness modern methods and techniques, so as to achieve a safe society, and a sustainable traffic safety,” Al Harthi said, adding he was encouraged by the programme increasingly attracting social networks’ users.
“A total 42,820,000 individuals ‘liked’ the four community-based initiatives recently launched by the directorate,” Al Harthi added. “This promotes the efforts to improve the motorists’ behaviour and achieve communication with them, with a view to promote traffic awareness and achieve a sustainable traffic culture.”
Abu Dhabi Police also teamed up with Mafraq Hospital and Al Rahba Hospital to further reinforce the road safety message, with another campaign, named ‘Oudelayna’, in a further effort to curb the number of road accident casualties.
The campaign encourages hospital employees to drive safely when prolonged periods of fasting during the Holy Month can lead to decreased concentration among motorists.
In addition, the Municipality of Abu Dhabi launched a tyre inspection safety campaign run in association with Al Masaood Automobiles. The campaign was aimed at alerting motorists about the importance of tyre safety, air pressure and tyre tread depth.
Check out the ‘Together’ campaign at @AbuDhabiPolice
