Under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister and the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) chairman Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani, NTSC and Qatar University (QU) Sunday launched “the Traffic Safety Award for the State of Qatar”. 
The function at QU also marked the launching of the website of the award. The ceremony was attended by QU president Dr Hassan bin Rashid al-Derham, the General Directorate of Traffic Director General Brig. Mohamed Abdullah al-Shahwani, NTSC secretary Brig Mohamed Abdullah al-Maliki, Abdullah Abdulghani and Brothers Company managing director Dr Nasser Abdulghani al-Abdulghani and Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Centre (QTTSC) director Dr Mohammed Yousef al-Qaradawi.
The annual prize for traffic safety in Qatar evaluates traffic awareness in all categories of the society, represented in scientific and engineering innovations, artistic and intellectual innovations. It encourages the social responsibility of the private sector institutions of the country through an active partnership between the private and government sectors. 
While addressing the event, Dr al-Dirham said the meeting was held in order to evaluate the efforts to make the traffic safety initiatives successful and to continue to meet the objectives of the National Traffic Safety Strategy 2018-2022. 
“Traffic safety has been built on National Vision 2030 and is one of the priorities that Qatar seeks to develop. In recent years, Qatar has been able to improve and work to reduce traffic accidents to the point of competition from developed countries,” he said, thanking the efforts of all stakeholders.
“All relevant structures have worked together while organising awareness activities in order to highlight the seriousness of the lack of compliance with road safety and security procedures,” he added.
Al-Shahwani said the authorities are determined to make all the traffic safety initiatives in Qatar successful. “We are working together to achieve the United Nations goals for sustainable development related to the development of road networks, transport services, congestion reduction, transport planning and land use. The country has also set a new world record in the reduction of traffic accidents.
"Despite the increase in the population and in the number of vehicles, Qatar has reduced the road accident death rate to 4.4 deaths per 100,000 persons. This is low compared to many Arab and European and Southeast Asian and North and South American countries." he said.
Al-Malki said all state institutions have been working together to find effective and serious solutions to reduce traffic problems since NTSC was formed by implementing the action plans contained in the National Road Safety Strategy 2013-2022. “Thanks to the concerted efforts, Qatar is today in a leading position in the field of local and international traffic safety,” he said.
Al-Qaradawi said prizes have been allocated to everyone who contributes an innovative idea, project or a new invention that serves the traffic safety system, contributes to spreading traffic awareness, and tries gradually to solve the problems facing the system.
He also announced the launch of the Qatar Traffic Safety website www.roadsafety.qa. The website is aimed at collecting and publishing research studies and initiatives in the country as a national and global reference. This site contains academic publications, reports, events and training workshops, in addition to traffic safety news.

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