The Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC) at Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) signed an agreement yesterday with Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros Co (AAB) - Toyota to establish a collaboration on the sponsorship of the first National Road Safety Award Program for the State of Qatar.
The agreement was signed by CENG Dean Dr. Khalid Kamal Naji and AAB Acting CEO Mr. Murugan R.K. in the presence of QTTSC Director Prof. Faris Tarlochan. Secretary of the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullah Al-Malki attended the ceremony as well as Director General of the General Directorate of Traffic (GDT), Major General Mohammed Saad Al-Kharji, together with representatives from GDT, CENG and AAB.
Commenting on the agreement, Dr. Khalid Kamal Naji said, “Road safety is one of the main areas of interest in Qatar. The College of Engineering through the QTTSC continues to highlight its commitment to road safety by investing in research and awareness programs that help find sustainable solutions to the road and traffic challenges in Qatar. This agreement demonstrates CENG’s continuous efforts to contribute to road safety in Qatar through reducing road traffic accidents and developing a safe road transport system in line with the National Road Safety Strategy 2013-2022.”
He added, “Every year, more than 1 million people die on the roads worldwide and another 50 million suffer various injuries that could lead to disabilities as well as material losses that significantly affect the state budget. Since the UN announced that 2011-2020 will be the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety,’ many countries, including Qatar, have devoted their efforts in developing the road safety system.”
Brigadier Al-Malki commented saying Qatar occupies a leading position in tackling road safety in the world. In order to insure a safe road transport system for all users in the country the NTSC and QTTSC developed the first National Road Safety Award Program, which aims to promote best practice in road safety by recognizing individuals, organizations or educational institutions who strive to make Qatar’s roads safer.
In his speech, Mr. Murugan R.K. stated that traffic safety has always been a priority to AAB, which is reflected in the activities and programs it has developed with the Traffic Department for Traffic Safety Week over the past years. He adds, “The National Traffic Safety Award is a significant milestone in Qatar to promote the best initiatives and practices to protect road users. We believe that this award will spearhead the road safety ambition and will create a good framework to achieve it.”
Commenting on the signing ceremony, Prof. Faris Tarlochan said, “In the past few years, Qatar has been able to reduce traffic accidents and has achieved a great deal in comparison to other developed countries. This is mainly due to the efforts of all stakeholders, especially the National Traffic Safety Committee and the General Directorate of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior. All relevant stakeholders -without exception- worked together in organizing activities, events and campaigns within public, private and educational institutions, to raise awareness of the seriousness of non-compliance of some road users with road safety and security measures.”
AAB is the exclusive distributor of Toyota and Lexus in Qatar.