Gulf Traffic Week Seminar: Safety is 'Joint Responsibility'

Doha, March 16 (QNA) - All members of the community have a responsibility towards ensuring traffic safety, participants of a seminar, organised here as part of the 27th Gulf Traffic Week, heard.
The seminar urged vehicle owners to use Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts, particularly tyres with proper air pressure to prevent accidents.
The traffic department here organised the seminar in association with Qatar University yesterday.
Traffic Department Director Mohammed Saad Al Kharji who inaugurated the seminar, said, "We have focussed the programmes of the Gulf Traffic Week on university students as they are vulnerable to accidents on the road. Seminars such as these can help spreading the message of obeying rules and inclucating good traffic culture among community members."
Director of Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah; Secretary of National Committee for Traffic Safety (NCTS) Brigadier Mohammed Abdullah Al Maliki; Professor of Civil Engineering at University of Bahrain and member of Public Health Research Council for Middle East at World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Hashim Al Madani, traffic expert from Bahrain Abdul Azeez bu Haji, Heads and members of GCC delegations participating in traffic week activities, university students and teachers attended the seminar.
Director of Public Relations Department at MoI Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Khalifa Al-Muftah said that this seminar is a session to interact and discuss with the youth traffic issues.
Then Brigadier Mohammed Abdullah Al-Maliki addressed the seminar covering the main reasons of traffic accidents. He also pointed out that the Ministry of Interior has recently announced the formation of National Committee for Traffic Safety (NCTS) with priority to plan appropriate solutions to reduce traffic accidents.
Brigadier Al Maliki said, "There are many reasons for accidents. One of them is the use of non-original tyres and those that have developed balloons after prolonged usage. Measures are being taken to prevent import of such tyres into the country that pose grave risks on the roads."
Traffic expert Abdul Azeez Bu Haji gave tips on ideal use of roads and how to avoid accidents. He also reminded participants that all members of the community from the family to government authorities has a role to play in prevention of road accidents. Parents should guide their children on safe use of vehicles on the roads and the government should make the required legislations, he added.
Dr Hashim Al Madani, in his video presentation which highlighted several issues and accidents that happened in different parts of the world, said that drivers are not the only reason for accidents. There could be flaws in the roads.
"Drivers may not be the main reason for causing accidents in many cases. Engineering mistakes of roads and the impact of the climate could also cause accidents," he said. (QNA)