Total Qatar, in partnership with Mowasalat’s Karwa Driving School and Audi, recently organised sessions focusing on ‘Driver Security’, as part of a one-day expo held under the aegis of the General Directorate of Traffic.
At the exhibition in the headquarters of Total Qatar, a number of theoretical and practical sessions highlighting safe driving were held.
Speaking on the occasion, Total Qatar general manager Laurent Wolfschim stressed the importance of driving safely on roads. The ‘Safe Driver’ campaign, as it is known, was launched at Total’s headquarters in France and is being spread across the world through more than 130 branches of the global giant.
The campaigns, it was pointed out at the expo, has succeeded in raising awareness on road hazards, through respective traffic rules  and encouraging positive practices and behaviours. “Safety is one of the core values ??of Total and we are keen to take every opportunity to promote a culture of safety and we believe that it is possible to avoid road accidents,” said Wolfschim.
“We can save lives, avoid injuries and improve public safety by emphasising the importance of safe and careful use of roads. The Safe Driver programme will certainly help us achieve this.”
“We are delighted to be part of this event,” said Jassim al-Khayat, executive director of Support Services at Mowasalat. “Our participation in the event shows our company’s responsibilities toward the country’s people. We wholeheartedly join the efforts to spread safe driving through the company’s partnerships with the private and public sectors.”
Mowasalat, said al-Khayat, is keen to include technical staff from among the trainers for the success of such campaigns. “We are also making use of the latest IT and smart simulators to train drivers,” he said while adding that the drivers attending such programmes would receive certificates of global experience in safe driving. Mowasalat deploys nearly 6,000 light and heavy duty drivers for assignments on a daily basis.
While expressing happiness at the close partnership the Traffic Department is having with different stakeholders to promote safe driving, Captain Ali Rashid al-Ettah, head of Traffic Studies and Information in the Traffic Awareness Department at the General Directorate of Traffic said such expos and sessions would go a long way in educating drivers on traffic safety rules.
“These initiatives will contribute to raising the level of traffic awareness among the employees of national companies, which, in turn will reflect on the level of traffic safety and contribute to a reduction in traffic irregularities and accidents significantly.”
Later, Captain Ali Rashed al-Nakhbah deliberated on traffic safety rules covering such areas as tyres, brakes, airbags and other procedures that should be in place in all vehicles. Captain al-Nakhbah also highlighted the role played by the Traffic Department to raise awareness on a regular basis. “Through a number of partnerships, we have been promoting traffic awareness and safety rules on the road with main aim of reducing  accidents, particularly those involving pedestrians.”