The 32nd Gulf Traffic Week Events Kick off in Abu Dhabi

Under the patronage of Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Lt. General Saif Abdullah Al Sha’far, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior, opened the 32nd Gulf Traffic Week (Sunday) morning. The opening ceremony took place at Yas Mall in the presence of Major General Mohammed Khalfan Matar Al Rumaithi, Commander-in-Chief of Abu Dhabi Police. The event is organized by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and held under the slogan "Your Choice Determines Your Destiny."

Lt. General Al Sha’far stressed that the UAE’s participation along with its sister states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) emphasizes the sincere and continuous endeavors of the UAE to render traffic regulations and laws effective, and to keep pace with the civilized and urban advancement witnessed by the country. He noted that this advancement is achieved under the wise and visionary leadership of the country in regards to the integrity of the human element and its development, as the human element is the actual capital owned by the country. He highlighted Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif’s keenness to provide traffic safety to all road users, and noted his continuous follow up of the MoI’s steps to implement its strategy, which aims to grant safety on all roads across the UAE.

Lt. General Al Sha’far added, “The MoI is implementing a comprehensive traffic strategy that includes numerous initiatives in cooperation with other concerned authorities in the country in order to limit traffic accidents and their impact. This strategy covers all aspects related to traffic safety, and continues its endeavors through different initiatives and awareness campaigns in order to reduce the number of traffic accidents and avoid their negative impact. This is achieved by fostering the pillars of the modern traffic system, which is considered a main aspect of the advancement and high status of countries.”

He said that any observer of the status of the UAE’s traffic system will notice the amount of care extended to developing traffic rules and regulations, engineering roads as per the best international standards, upgrading the traffic and patrols departments, developing the competencies and skills of traffic personnel, and activating traffic awareness throughout the year. 

Lt. General Al Sha’far stressed that the Gulf Traffic Week’s events and continuous awareness campaigns have a positive impact on spreading awareness about the risks resulting from violating traffic rules and regulations. He noted, “These events contributed significantly to reducing the number of traffic accidents and their negative impacts; hence we extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to traffic personnel and to our strategic partners who are working effortlessly to promote traffic safety in all ways, and to disseminate the traffic culture among members of the community.” 

Major General Al Rumaithi stressed that traffic safety is a main strategic priority to maintaining the security that is enjoyed in the county. He said that it is a priority in terms of reducing traffic accidents and their negative impact of wasting resources and potentials. He noted that the traffic week organized in Abu Dhabi aims to preserve the positive indicators achieved in relation to the levels of traffic safety in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. 

He continued, “This year’s slogan ‘Your Choice Determines Your Destiny’ emphasizes the importance of promoting personal responsibility in order to reduce traffic accidents. This encouraged us to develop the ideas that are beneficial to the community in general, and to road users in particular, by implementing the best practices and systems that raise the level of performance, and reflect a positive image of civilized dealing between the traffic personnel and the public. This aims to ensure their safety and protect them from traffic accidents.”

He also noted that the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters has included the wise leadership’s vision of treating the human factor as the most valuable asset within its strategic priorities. The police are exerting their highest efforts to realize the desired results and integrate the official and community efforts in order to achieve traffic safety for all.

He also said “the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters is interested in strengthening communication with all community segments as partners in fostering security and stability. Based on this approach, we launched today the “Traffic Awareness Partners” initiative that encourages contributing positive efforts to promote traffic awareness and deliver our message to ensure traffic safety standards.

Major General Al Rumaithi expressed the gratitude of the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters to the authorities, who paid attention to the importance of institutional social work and activated their positive partnership with the Traffic and Patrols Directorate of the Abu Dhabi Police via the “Traffic Awareness Partners.” This supports the efforts of the Abu Dhabi Police to limit traffic accidents and build social traffic awareness that improves the traffic culture and personal responsibility about abiding by traffic laws.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Major General Mohammed Al Awadhi Al Menhali, Assistant Undersecretary of Resources and Support Services; Major General Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Inspector General of the Ministry of Interior; Major General Jassem Muhammad Al Marzouqui, Civil Defense General Commander-in-chief; Brigadier Sheikh Mohammed bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Director General of Security and Ports Affairs at Abu Dhabi Police; Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Director General of Central Operations at Abu Dhabi Police; Brigadier Mubarak Abdullah Al Muhairi, Director General of Guards and Special Tasks; and Brigadier Mohamed Mayouf Al Ketbi, Head of Vehicles and Drivers Licensing Department at Abu Dhabi Police; in addition to traffic awareness partners; a number of public council hosts who support the Traffic and Patrols Directorate activities; directors of departments; and head of sections at the MoI and the Abu Dhabi Police. The event was also attended by strategic partners of the Abu Dhabi Police and a delegation from the traffic department from Saudi Arabia.

The 32nd Gulf Traffic Week is held in a period in which the UAE is enjoying the blessings of safety and security as the result of the exerted efforts to preserve lives and property. These efforts also aim to limit human and material losses and lost capabilities that result from traffic accidents. This helps achieve the wise leadership’s vision of treating the human factor as the most valuable asset, within its strategic priorities. They are exerting their highest efforts to realize the aspired results and integrate the roles of the official and community efforts in order to realize traffic safety for all.

The inauguration ceremony included artistic and traffic awareness shows presented by students who performed acting scenes, in addition to an operetta by school students from “Maryam bint Imran School,” “Hamza bin Abdul Mutalib School,” and “Al Dhabiania Government School.” The shows aimed to foster personal responsibility to limit traffic accidents and develop ideas that benefit the society generally and road users specifically. This can only be achieved by implementing best standards and systems that enhance performance levels and provide a positive image of civilized behavior between the traffic personnel and the public, in order to ensure their safety and protect them from traffic accidents.

Lt. General Al Sha’far and Major General Al Rumaithi recognized the ideal officer, ideal policeman, ideal policewoman, ideal male driver, ideal female driver, ideal special needs male driver, and ideal special needs female driver.

Lt. General Al Sha’far opened the exhibition and activities that are held within the framework of the events at Yas Mall. The activities include a number of shows, and a traffic exhibition with the participation of 10 bodies including Emirates Transport; Vehicles and Drivers Licensing Department at Abu Dhabi Police, Saaed for Traffic Systems, Emirates Driving Company, Abu Dhabi Center for Controlling Traffic Signals; Higher Colleges of Technology; Saaed Society to Reduce Traffic Accidents; Tourism Development & Investment Company; in addition to a children’s theater, traffic workshop, playground, and competitions.

Brigadier Ghaith Hassan Al Zaabi, Director General of Traffic Coordination at the Ministry of Interior asserted the importance of using experiences in all traffic fields to promote traffic systems and reduce human and material losses due to accidents.

He pointed out the positive results of traffic safety levels due to the follow up of Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif, the efforts of the UAE’s Traffic and Patrols Directorate, and the strategic partners. “All of this led to achieving our strategy to achieve a safe traffic environment with zero accidents, and achieve excellent traffic indicators according to the Federal Government’s Vision 2021.”

He noted that those results were achieved despite the increase in the number of registered vehicles in the UAE, which comes as a result of population and economic growth. He also pointed to the cooperation with strategic partners to prepare for such increases, and the consequential increase in traffic on the roads.

“Our celebration this year carries numerous meanings, most importantly the meaning of this week’s slogan ‘Your Choice Determines Your Destiny,’ which represents the importance of having manners and adhering to the traffic laws,” said Brigadier Al Zaabi. “The slogan itself is an invitation to all road users to be ideal drivers who care for their own safety as well as the safety of others. We at the MoI will continue our relentless efforts to preserve lives and spread the concepts of traffic safety.”

Traffic Initiatives.

On a different note, Lt. General Al Sha’far and Major General Al Rumaithi inaugurated three traffic initiatives launched by the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police. The first initiative, “Traffic Awareness Partners,” was inaugurated in the presence of 14 partner entities. It aims to instill social responsibility, the roles of private and public sectors, government bodies and educational institutions, and activate their role in spreading traffic culture in society. The initiative will run all year long, to spread the traffic culture and reach the desired impact, and achieve traffic safety standards for all segments of society including citizens and residents, in all languages. It also aims to establish the pillars of a social traffic awareness, to prevent the waste of human resources through traffic accidents.

The second initiative will promote the participation of youth, through the launch of the hashtag “Your Choice Determines Your Destiny” by the Technology College students on social media websites. The initiative aims to increase the youth’s participation in traffic awareness programs, to reduce the percentage of traffic accidents and the resulting fatalities and serious injuries. The initiative will also see the spreading and instilling of the traffic culture and an increase in the adherence to the traffic laws. The third initiative, titled “My First Driving License for Children,” carries a symbolic and awareness meaning for our young children.

Brigadier Khamis Ishaq Mohammed, Director of the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate stressed the added value of society participating in the institutional work of traffic awareness, as the responsibility is shared. This makes the members of society the main support, enabling the success of these efforts to prevent traffic accidents, fatalities and serious injuries. He pointed to the importance of promoting active social communication channels, and the readiness of the Abu Dhabi Police to adopt any ideas or initiatives from those institutions, to provide them with programs and awareness videos, to develop them in an excellent manner.

He called upon the public and private sectors, government bodies, civil society institutions, and strategic partners to participate positively in the field of traffic safety. He confirmed the importance of social institutional work being on par with the Abu Dhabi Police’s efforts to prevent the loss of life, through the adoption and support of campaigns aiming to spread traffic culture and enhance the social traffic movement.

He emphasized the importance of activating the communication process with the various categories of drivers, reviewing their ideas and listening to their vision and demands as well as proposing the various topics related to traffic safety with the variety of segments. He also stressed the importance of providing advice to drivers on social media sites, hoping that all segments of the society contribute with their material and artistic capabilities and human power, through their messaging systems, as well as by direct communication with their staff, to establish the concept of traffic culture in the society.

He called on the sectors to undertake their community responsibilities by holding partnerships with the directorate and supporting the programs and activities that are launched and implemented under the directorate’s plan. This establishes the community’s participation and increases the awareness and traffic culture, thus preserving lives and property and improving traffic safety in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The Traffic Week activities continue in the Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, sending awareness messages to all segments of society. Talal Al Dhiyebi, Chief Development Officer at Aldar Properties, expressed Aldar Properties’ pride at hosting the Gulf Traffic Week in Yas Mall, which constitutes a part of the keenness to support all key governmental initiatives and deliver various activities to the visitors. He also expressed their appreciation at the efforts exerted by the MoI to enhance traffic safety awareness and reach the highest levels of safety for road and vehicles users.