Total Qatar, Mowasalat in joint effort to promote safe driving

Total Qatar, in partnership with Mowasalat’s Karwa Driving School andAudi, recently organised sessions focusing on ‘Driver Security’, as partof a one-day expo held under the aegis of the General Directorate ofTraffic.At the exhibition in the headquarters of Total Qatar, a number oftheoretical and practical sessions highlighting safe driving were held.Speaking on the occasion, Total Qatar general manager Laurent Wolfschimstressed the importance of driving safely on roads. The ‘Safe Driver’campaign, as it is known, was launched at Total’s headquarters in Franceand is being spread across the world through more than 130 branches ofthe global giant. The campaigns, it was pointed out at the expo, has succeeded in raisingawareness on road hazards, through respective traffic rules  andencouraging positive practices and behaviours. “Safety is one of thecore values ??of Total and we are keen to take every opportunity topromote a culture of safety and we believe that it is possible to avoidroad accidents,” said Wolfschim.“We can save lives, avoid injuries and improve public safety byemphasising the importance of safe and careful use of roads. The SafeDriver 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 participationin the event shows our company’s responsibilities toward the country’speople. We wholeheartedly join the efforts to spread safe drivingthrough the company’s partnerships with the private and public sectors.”Mowasalat, said al-Khayat, is keen to include technical staff from amongthe trainers for the success of such campaigns. “We are also making useof the latest IT and smart simulators to train drivers,” he said whileadding that the drivers attending such programmes would receivecertificates of global experience in safe driving. Mowasalat deploysnearly 6,000 light and heavy duty drivers for assignments on a dailybasis.While expressing happiness at the close partnership the TrafficDepartment is having with different stakeholders to promote safedriving, Captain Ali Rashid al-Ettah, head of Traffic Studies andInformation in the Traffic Awareness Department at the GeneralDirectorate of Traffic said such expos and sessions would go a long wayin educating drivers on traffic safety rules.“These initiatives will contribute to raising the level of trafficawareness among the employees of national companies, which, in turn willreflect on the level of traffic safety and contribute to a reduction intraffic irregularities and accidents significantly.”Later, Captain Ali Rashed al-Nakhbah deliberated on traffic safety rulescovering such areas as tyres, brakes, airbags and other procedures thatshould be in place in all vehicles. Captain al-Nakhbah also highlightedthe role played by the Traffic Department to raise awareness on aregular basis. “Through a number of partnerships, we have been promotingtraffic awareness and safety rules on the road with main aim ofreducing  accidents, particularly those involving pedestrians.”