Under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, the International Traffic Safety Conference 2018 (ITSC 2018) will be held in Doha on November 26 and 27.
The conference will be organised by the Ministry of Interior and Qatar University, with participation of a large number of researchers and specialists in transport and safety on the roads from around the world.
The conference tackles a number of different topics such as traffic safety engineering, driving behaviour, youth and traffic safety, education and traffic safety, road users at risk, legal enforcement, traffic accident data, post-accident investigations, internal vehicle technology, emergency services, medicine and traffic safety, safety and security. Transportation, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Traffic Flow, Road and Pavement Design, Public Transport, Transport Economics and Policy, Traffic Management, Logistics Transport Services, Urban Planning and Land Use.
Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr Omar al-Ansari said during a press conference that ITSC 2018 presents an opportunity for dialogue and discussion at a global level, around issues related to the present and future of road traffic safety. It supports and promotes the vision and objectives of The Qatar National Road Safety Strategy 2013-2022.
He added: "This conference also provides an opportunity for those concerned with traffic safety, both at the institutional level and at the individual level, to discuss and bring together views on the purposeful solutions and how to translate these ideas into strategies that can be utilised in real reality."
National Traffic Safety Committee Secretary Brigadier Mohamed Abdullah al-Malki noted that the conference is a testament to how much attention Qatar's leadership puts on issues related to traffic safety, which is considered a priority in the state.
He also noted the importance of conferences such as these in exchanging experiences with participants from across the world, especially in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by heads of states following the September 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. The agenda stets two objectives for states: To reduce the number of deaths and injuries resulting from road incidents by 2020 and to adopt the plan The Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, to stabilise and reduce the forecast level of road traffic deaths around the world.
Al-Malki called for concerted efforts of safety authorities in the country and their integration in order to achieve the vision of the country's supreme leadership aimed at building a network of sophisticated roads that meet the highest standards of safety, as well as an integrated transport system that guarantees the society's security and safety, and ensures that the country ranked top in the world in this area.
He stressed the importance of building partnerships between public and private sector institutions in organising such events, which will contribute greatly to raising the efficiency of performance through experiences gained from participation in local and international forums and conferences, pointing out that the organisation of the conference is the result of co-operation between the Ministry of Interior and Qatar University, and an example of successful partnerships.
Commenting on the conference, Dean of the QU Faculty of Engineering Dr Abdulmajeed Hamouda noted the participation of a large number of researchers and specialists in the field of transportation and traffic safety, as well as engineers from private and public institutions around the world.
He noted it is Qatar's first time to host a conference like this, which raises the country's international profile in the field of traffic safety. The conference will help prepare local institutions concerned with traffic issues in anticipation of Qatar staging FIFA World Cup in 2022.
