Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior
Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior (MOI), Qatar University (QU), represented by QU’s Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC) at the College of Engineering (CENG) and MOI’s National Traffic Safety Committee, organize together the “International Traffic Safety Conference” from 26-27 November 2018 at the Sheraton Hotel, which supports and promotes the vision and objectives of The Qatar National Road Safety Strategy 2013-2022.
The international forum is under the sponsorship of Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Dolphin Energy, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), Technolab, and the engineering company Khatib & Alami (K&A).
The conference also sees the participation of the General Directorate of Traffic, Ministry of Transport and Communications and The Ministry of Sports and Culture, with the support of international partners represented by United Nations Road Safety Committee, International Road Federation and International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences.
QU and MOI organized a press conference to announce the conference, which was attended by Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Omar Al-Ansari; National Traffic Safety Committee Secretary Brigadier, Mohamed Abdullah al-Malki; Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Abdulmajeed Hamouda; QTTSC Director, Professor Faris Tarlochan; Director of Khatib & Alami, Alex Hanna; General Manager of Technolab, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Makki; and Executive Director of QMMF Mr. Sultan Al Muraikhi.
The conference tackles a number of different topics such as traffic safety engineering, driving behavior, youth and traffic safety, education and traffic safety, road users at risk, legal enforcement, traffic accident data, post-accident investigations, internal vehicle technology, emergency services, medicine and traffic safety, safety and security. Transportation, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Traffic Flow, Road and Pavement Design, Public Transport, Transport Economics and Policy, Traffic Management, Logistics Transport Services, Urban Planning and Land Use
Dr. Omar Al-Ansari said in a speech at the press conference that the conference brings about an opportunity for dialogue and discussion at a global level, around issues related to the present and future of road traffics safety. He says, “This conference also provides an opportunity for those concerned with traffic safety, both at the institutional level and at the individual level, to discuss and bring together views on the purposeful solutions and how to translate these ideas into strategies that can be utilized in real reality.”
Brigadier Mohamed Abdullah Al-Malki noted that the conference is a testament to how much attention the State of Qatar’ leadership puts on issues related to traffic safety, which is considered a priority in the state. He also noted the importance of conferences such as these in exchanging experiences with participants from across the world, especially in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by heads of the state following the September 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. The agenda calls upon two objectives for states: To reduce the number of deaths and injuries resulting from road incidents by 2020 and to adopt the plan The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020, to stabilize and reduce the forecast level of road traffic deaths around the world.
Commenting on the conference, Dr. Abdulmajeed Hamouda noted the participation of a large number of researchers and specialists in the field of transportation and traffic safety, as well as engineers from private and public institutions around the world. He noted it is Qatar’s first time to host a conference like this, which raises Qatar’s international profile in the field of traffic safety. The conference will help prepare local institutions concerned with traffic issues in anticipation of Qatar receiving the worldwide event FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Meanwhile, QU’s Professor Faris Tarlochan said the QTTSC is keen to support state institutions in the research of road safety issues in Qatar. The center provides a supportive infrastructure for research cooperation and serves as an instrument for evaluation and presentation of proposals on road safety. The center also provides recommendations aimed at improving road safety and reducing accidents. He added that the center considers The Qatar National Road Safety Strategy 2013-2022 a pillar of its activities, programs, campaigns and research, to ensure the achievement of Qatar National Vision 2030.
In a statement on this occasion, Mr. Alex Hanna says, “K&A was founded in Beirut in 1964 and is present in Qatar since 1993, and ever since we have contributed in transforming Qatar into the modern state that it is today.” He adds that the engineering office contributes to the Qatar National Vision 2030 through a variety of projects and in cooperation with a number of institutions in the governmental and private sectors. Khatib & Alami participates in the implementation of a number of major infrastructure projects focused on traffic safety, he says, through affiliates including QU’s QTTSC, “to ensure continuous improvement and knowledge and experience exchange.”
In his speech, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Makki said, “Technolab is pleased to be supportive of scientific research at Qatar University. Technolab, established in 2013, is working hard to meet the needs of many fields in Qatar, including education, training, scientific and industrial research. The company is honored to be a sponsor of the 2018 World Conference on Traffic Safety. We do not hesitate to sponsor such conferences, in the interest of society as a whole. It is proud to participate in a conference that holds in its vision the protection of all road users from death, serious accidents, ways to find solutions, discuss them, and how to translate these ideas into strategies that can be used on the ground.”