The International Symposium organized by the Emirates Traffic Safety Society under the patronage of His Highness Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, and Honorary Chairman of the Emirates Traffic Safety Society, in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), issued 11 recommendations at its closing session held at the Abu Dhabi Intercontinental Hotel.
The Symposium, held under the title: “Traffic accidents: Effects and Reflections on Social, Health and Economic Development”, called for strategies to reduce death and injury rates resulting from traffic accidents through the establishment of high national committees, and calling for increased commitment to traffic rules and regulations because saving the lives of both motorists and others is a requirement among all religions, and a civilized practice that reflects the culture of the society.
The Symposium stressed the importance of the participation of all community members and other institutions concerned with traffic safety (Ministry of Interior, Traffic Departments, Educational Institutes, etc.) in supporting, directing and monitoring the behavior on roads (social responsibility).
It called for the organization of awareness and preventive campaigns in all Arab countries in cooperation with relevant parties. It also encouraged the focus on the role of the family in spreading awareness among children about traffic accidents, in line with the rules and regulations related to individuals who violate those rules and cause accidents. It stressed the importance of accelerating the process of establishing specialized centers to examine the social and psychological dimensions of traffic accidents and their cost, in order to find the right solutions and educate all members of society.
The Symposium recommended an increase in awareness campaigns among the various components of society, especially the young who constitute the main pillar of the future; in order to reduce the risks they may face, and may result in many casualties annually, in addition to providing a database on the statics of traffic accidents and the resulting human and financial losses; in line with regional traffic safety centers, as well as unifying terms and circulating them among all members.
The seminar called for spreading the culture of psychological health in Arab societies in order to overcome the psychological pressure and disorders resulting from the stress of modern life which negatively affects the behavior of individuals including violating traffic rules.
It emphasized the importance of reviewing methods and models of calculating the economic cost of accidents and the approaches adopted in this regard, when estimating direct and indirect costs of traffic accidents. It also stressed the need for regular meetings to discuss these issues, and to reflect the results of economic effects of accidents into strategies or mechanisms with the participation of relevant partners including police, heath sector, insurance sector, and other relevant institutions. It encouraged insurance companies to differentiate between careful driver and non-careful drivers in terms of the cost of insurance, and to offer discounts for drivers with good records of adherence to traffic rules.
The Symposium also recommended the establishment and implementation of a mechanism for transferring expertise from countries that achieved remarkable success in traffic safety, through exchanging programs and successful applications with countries that are still suffering from safety issues. This aims at encouraging the use of that expertise in planning and setting mechanisms related to road safety, as well as dedicating a special portal on the internet for this purpose, in addition to launching new awards