Back-to-school traffic awareness drive launched

General Directorate of Traffic launched Sunday its back-to-school campaign, an annual awareness event aimed at boosting traffic safety culture among students.At Ahmed Bin Rashid Al Muraikhi Primary School for Boys, this year's campaign launch was attended by a number of traffic officers and officials. The students were given souvenirs bearing educational messages to remind them of the importance of traffic safety.Acting Director of Traffic Information and Awareness Department, Brigadier General Jassim Nasser al-Hamidi said that establishing a traffic safety culture begins by educating young people and youth on the basics of safe driving and respecting traffic laws, stressing the Directorate's interest in awareness programmes directed at these groups.He said that the campaign continues throughout the academic year by holding nationwide awareness activities on street safety tips for universities, schools, education centres for people with disabilities, and preschoolers.The General Directorate of Traffic, represented by the Traffic Patrols and Investigation Department, has developed a plan to secure traffic in conjunction with the new academic year, based on strengthening the field deployment of patrols to reduce traffic congestion and ensure traffic flow, specially at major intersections and roads surrounding schools, he said.Al-Hamidi added that this traffic plan, coinciding the start of the academic year, is an extension of the year-round efforts by General Directorate of Traffic to reduce traffic accidents.