ABU DHABI // Officials at Abu Dhabi’s Traffic and Patrols Directorate are hoping an exhibitions with presentations and poem recitations will help schoolchildren become safer drivers when they got older.
An exhibition promoting traffic safety awareness opened on Sunday at Mushrif Mall as part of the 31st Gulf Traffic Week in Abu Dhabi.
Twenty-five schools run by Abu Dhabi Educational Council are taking part in activities organised by the directorate and Saaed Association to Reduce Traffic Accidents.
Brig Khamis Mohammed, deputy director at the directorate, said the exhibits would help promote traffic safety awareness in the educational sector.
From an early age, children will learn the road system, how traffic works and how important it is to follow the rules.
The mall activities will also encourage pupils to come up with creative ideas with an aim to reduce traffic accidents, he said.
A 2015 Rolls-Royce Phantom, a recent addition to the Abu Dhabi Police fleet, is on display.
Also on display is a gallery of smart systems that monitor traffic, including an exhibit of a damaged car with a QR code that provides details of the accident when scanned with a smart phone, a safe driving simulator, and an “interactive timetable” featuring the UAE’s milestones in the past 10 years.
The exhibition includes Shadow Game, an interactive awareness presentation that educates players on how to make the right decisions as a road user.
On Sunday, a group of Al Ameen School pupils dressed as police officers recited poems about their love for the UAE, the President Sheikh Khalifa and the Rulers of the UAE. They later shared their thoughts on road safety.
“Drivers need to make sure to put on their seat belt and not use their mobile phone while driving,” said Hamdan Jaarour, 10.
Hamad Al Otaiba, 10, said people should avoid drifting, swerving and making unnecessary lane changes. “My father is a policeman and he has taught me a lot of things about how to be safe on the road,” he said. “No drifting, don’t speed, no sudden braking, and always wear your seat belt. Drivers also need to check their brakes, tyres and oil levels before every journey.”
Khaled Al Mansoori, chief executive of Emirates Driving Company, said it was important that children receive road safety education.
Parents, he said, have a strong influence over their children’s attitudes to road safety.
“At this year’s Gulf Traffic Week, we’re hoping to build a safe traffic culture and highlight the role of effective driver training programmes and safe driving techniques,” he said.
The exhibits and other Gulf Traffic Week activities will run until Thursday.
