ABU DHABI, 9th March, 2023 (WAM) — To raise awareness and traffic culture in society and enhance the safety and security of road users, the Integrated Transport Centre of the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi organised a special event titled "Road Safety is Everyone's Responsibility".
This comes under the Joint Committee for Traffic Safety, led by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, which also includes the Integrated Transport Centre, Abu Dhabi Police General Command and the Abu Dhabi Health Department. This aligns with the 38th Gulf Traffic Week, which began on 6th March and concludes on 12th March, 2023.
This event, held in cooperation with the International Road Federation (IRF), included an art exhibition with the most important modern technologies relying on artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and the latest versions of cameras integrated with artificial intelligence technologies providing the highest levels of security and traffic safety on the roads.
The event also included panel discussions tackling elements of planning, engineering, traffic management and behavioural improvements for road users to reach a safe transport system in light of the constant changes and transport needs. It also focused on the tools available to policymakers and those concerned with traffic safety issues from various government and private agencies to create a common traffic safety culture, highlighting the importance of sustainability across the emirate.
During the event, the Traffic Safety Committee of the International Road Federation met in Abu Dhabi to evaluate international efforts to reduce road accidents and injuries resulting from them and come up with new ideas in road safety, securing alternative safety transport, and international support to implement the Net Zero strategy in Abu Dhabi. This aims to achieve the highest levels of traffic safety in the emirate and reduce the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents to zero.
This comes when the needs and challenges are increasing to secure an integrated and safe transport system that meets high safety standards for different road users, each with their own needs for security and safety. It aligns with the country’s comprehensive and rapid development, witnessed the steady increase in the number of residents and incoming tourists, the number of vehicles on the roads and the tremendous developments of the transport sector, such as the diversity of the modes of transport used.
These developments include smart and environmentally-friendly vehicles, sustainable transport such as electric scooters and bicycles, the increasing number of delivery motorcycles, in addition to government policies encouraging the use of healthy modes of transportation such as cycling and walking, which requires multiplied efforts and innovative solutions to provide a safe common space for everyone.
The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is setting out with confidence to achieve the Net Zero Vision and aspires to be one of the leading centres with one of the highest levels of traffic safety on a global scale.
These initiatives and events contribute to achieving Abu Dhabi's vision of adopting a safe transportation system approach to reach Net-Zero Vision by 2040 by improving road behaviour and decreasing the risk of human mistakes leading to serious injuries or deaths.
The 38th Gulf Traffic Week is being held under the sponsorship of the Federal Traffic Council under the slogan “Your Life is a Trust”, to enhance awareness and prevent traffic accidents through seminars and conferences that discuss the causes of traffic accidents and ways to prevent them, in addition to raising awareness of the importance of ideal safe driving.