Closing ceremony of the 6th edition of the Traffic Safety Ambassadors program for both girls and boys
Thursday, May 18th, 2023
The Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center at the College of Engineering in Qatar University, organized the closing ceremony for the Traffic Safety Ambassadors of secondary schools for both boys and girls. The event was held in collaboration with the National Traffic Safety Committee and the General Directorate of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and sponsored by Dolphin Energy Limited. The ceremony was attended by representatives from various government institutions, as well as participating schools, faculty members from Qatar University, and its staff.
Keynote speeches
Dr. Khalid Kamal Naji, (Dean of the College of Engineering, Qatar University)
In his welcoming speech, Dr. Khalid Kamal Naji, the Dean of the College of Engineering, stated, "Road safety receives great attention in the state of Qatar, as evidenced by the establishment of the National Traffic Safety Committee. In January 2013, the National Road Safety Strategy (2013-2022) was launched to enhance Qatar's commitment to reducing road crashes and paving the way for a long-term ambitious vision of providing a safe road transportation system that protects all users against risks and injuries."
Furthermore, he emphasized that this strategy was developed to guide the efforts of all relevant entities in improving road safety in Qatar and reducing human losses. The youth, being the productive element of society and the promising future of the country, are among the most vulnerable groups to the risks of road crashes.
Commenting on the event, Dr. Khalid Kamal Naji stated that, based on the state's commitment to road safety and recognizing the role of youth, the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center, in collaboration with the National Traffic Safety Committee, launched the "Traffic Safety Ambassadors" initiative for the secondary schools. The initiative aims to promote proper traffic safety behaviors, create a risk-free traffic environment, and instill educational values that enhance awareness among young people regarding road safety.
In conclusion, Dr. Khalid expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Interior, represented by the National Traffic Safety Committee, the General Directorate of Traffic, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Qatar Scientific Club, and Dolphin Energy Limited for their support of this initiative, as well as their support for other initiatives.
Brigadier Engineer Mohammed Abdullah Al Malki, (Secretary-General of the National Traffic Safety Committee, MOI)
In his opening speech, Brigadier Engineer Mohammed Abdullah Al Malki, the Secretary-General of the National Traffic Safety Committee at the Ministry of Interior, affirmed that preserving the safety of young drivers and passengers is one of the committee's top priorities in the State of Qatar. According to reports issued by the General Directorate of Traffic in Qatar, road crashes involving young people constitute a significant proportion of the total crashes. In 2015, the percentage of youth fatalities in the age group of 11-29 years accounted for 49.4% of the total road traffic fatalities, which is considered a very high percentage.
To address this issue, the Traffic Safety Ambassadors program for secondary schools in Qatar was launched on November 3, 2015, in collaboration with the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center at Qatar University. The program aims to engage young students to develop events, programs, and extracurricular activities related to promoting traffic awareness among them and all school students. It also aims to enhance traffic safety concepts that have been included in the overall educational framework prepared by the National Traffic Safety Committee for schools. The program aims to translate these concepts from theoretical knowledge into practical application by changing negative traffic behaviors among young students and transforming them into positive and preventive behaviors to avoid fatal crashes.
The National Traffic Safety Committee, as emphasized by Brigadier Engineer Mohammed Abdullah Al Malki, plays an active role in promoting and raising awareness about the importance of road safety. The committee is responsible for developing strategies and implementing plans and programs to enhance and improve traffic safety in the country. Additionally, the committee works on fostering communication and collaboration with all governmental and private institutions, including educational institutions.
Since its establishment, the committee has collaborated with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to provide multiple resources for teaching and learning road safety and has launched the National Award for Traffic Safety Education. Furthermore, in cooperation with the Public Works Authority, the committee has worked on improving the surroundings of more than 530 schools, providing traffic safety measures and facilities in line with international standards to ensure safer access to schools for students.
Brigadier Al-Maliki also commended the role of traffic safety ambassadors in changing the behavior of road users and contributing to the awareness of their fellow students, encouraging them to adhere to traffic laws.
Major Saleh Rashid Al-Nabet, (Head of the Studies and Traffic Information Department, the General Directorate of Traffic, MOI)
In his speech, Major Saleh Rashid Al-Nabet, Head of the Studies and Traffic Information Department at the General Directorate of Traffic in the Ministry of Interior, stated that the close cooperation with the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center, the College of Engineering at Qatar University, is of great importance in supporting events, initiatives, and research related to traffic safety. This collaboration will have a significant impact in promoting traffic safety in Qatar in the near and distant future.
He also highlighted that the Traffic Awareness Department of the General Directorate of Traffic spares no effort in engaging with all segments of society to convey the message of traffic awareness and promote traffic culture. They particularly focus on students in schools and universities. Therefore, the General Directorate of Traffic organizes annual traffic awareness seminars and campaigns primarily targeting students. Additionally, the Department organizes various awareness seminars and campaigns at specified times in cooperation with the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior, targeting specific segments of society in each seminar or campaign.
Dr. Shimaa Ali Al-Quradaghi, (Director of the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center, Qatar University)
In her speech at the closing ceremony for girls, Dr. Shimaa Ali Al-Quradaghi, Director of the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center, said, "We take pride in this program, which helps raise students' awareness of the importance of traffic safety. This program serves as an important platform for instilling concepts and behaviors of safe driving at an early age, as well as encouraging students to continuously follow traffic safety rules and protect lives and property. The program also contributes to spreading a culture of traffic safety in the community, aiming to reduce the rate of traffic crashes."
She also emphasized that the program targets all secondary schools in the State of Qatar, and this year's edition is the first in which girls' schools participate in person. After coordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, schools were contacted, and traffic safety ambassadors were nominated from multiple schools based on high standards. These ambassadors formed working teams comprising female students from their respective schools. Under the guidance of supervisors, participating schools submitted their contributions documenting the teams' achievements and activities during the previous period.
In conclusion, Dr. Shimaa expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the organizers, the National Traffic Safety Committee, the General Directorate of Traffic, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and the Qatar Scientific Club for their effective contributions. She also extended her thanks to the main sponsor of this program, Dolphin Energy Limited.
Winners
At the end of the ceremony, after all the ambassador presentations and evaluation of inventions, workshops, seminars, and awareness campaigns by the judging committee, the winning schools were honored.
WINNERS - GIRLS SCHOOLS:
1st Position: Rawda Bint Jassim Secondary School for Girls
2nd Position: Arwa Bint Abdul Muttalib Secondary School for Girls
3rd Position: Zubaida Secondary School for Girls
WINNERS - BOYS SCHOOLS:
1st Position: Qatar Science and Technology Secondary School for Boys
2nd Position: Al Andalus Secondary Private School for Boys
3rd Position: Hassan Bin Thabit Secondary School for Boys
