DOHA: About 800 students have benefited from a training programme on road safety at their school this year.
It was part of a programme to raise awareness and change hazardous behaviours on the roads.
Students aged 12-18 were engaged in interactive presentations and coaching by trainers in an immersive driving simulator to imitate Qatar’s roads and local driving behaviours.
Each year, it’s thought up to 75 percent of road deaths in Qatar involved the male age group 10-29.
‘The road safety campaign was launched a year ago by programme owners Maersk Oil Qatar and the Ministry of Interior as part of the national One Second road safety initiative.
School visits by ‘Students for Road Safety’ are in addition to its support of community and traffic events to increase its impact on promoting behavioural changes.
The programme aims to instil responsibility in youth to develop a positive road safety culture in schools, transforming students into road safety ambassadors at school and home.
Captain Riyadh Ahmed Salih, Head, Traffic Awareness Section, Traffic Department, said, “By working together we can improve the behaviour on roads and reduce the number of injuries and deaths. The ‘Students for Road Safety’ is in keeping with the National Road Safety Strategy the ministry launched in 2013 to make our roads safer.”
The simulator is one of its kind in the Gulf and includes a full real car cockpit, an advanced display system with wrap around screen and an artificial intelligence engine that reflects common behaviours on roads like tail-gating, failure to indicate, flashing lights and cutting across cars at roundabouts.
It uses technologies originating from the aviation and Formula 1 industries.
Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad Al Thani, Deputy Managing Director, Maersk Oil Qatar, said, “The simulator is locally made for local conditions and has benefited hundreds of students in 2014.
“We are proud to have worked with the ministry and Virginia Commonwealth University to develop One Second and support campaigns, including Students for Road Safety.” The Peninsula
