DOHA: Qatar can play a key role in raising awareness about road safety in the region, FIA President Jean Todt said yesterday.
More than 1.3 million people die in road accidents and around 50 million suffer injuries every year, Todt said while addressing press conference at the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF).
“A country like Qatar can take the message of road safety to the region and the rest of the world,” Todt, who is a keynote speaker at this week’s Doha Goals Forum, said.
“Qatar has been running road safety campaigns. It has the enforcement forces to keep people safe on the roads. It has the required infrastructure to create awareness programmes that will deliver the message to these young kids and other people in the country,” he added.
“FIA wants a world with zero fatality. That’s our objective. So I say let’s do it,” Todt said along side Michelle Yeoh, the FIA Ambassador on Road Safety.
“I am convinced that Qatar can be the shining example in this regard,” the 66-year-old Frenchman said.
“Qatar has an active motor sport body and my friend Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah is doing a great job as the president. Then Qatar has a champion rally driver in Nasser (Saleh Al Attiyah) who is famous the world over.
“So I know Qatar is well placed to take this message to the rest of the world,” he said.
“I see the amazing developments Qatar has made over the years. The progress the country has made in various segments of the society is amazing,” Todt explained.
“I will be delivering a speech on the same topic at the Doha Goals Forum this week,” he said.
Al Attiyah, the QMMF president, pledged to follow the FIA guidelines in taking the message on road safety to the youth of the country.
“I am sure we can take this message forward. We respect the confidence shown by Mr Todt in our abilities to promote the road safety programmes. We are already thinking about Qatar as a place with zero fatality on the roads,” Al Attiyah said.
“We want to create healthy society where our young generation is free from such mishaps. I mean we want a positive attitude from all those on the road,” the QMMF president said.
“Yes, we can be the shining example in this regard. I pledge that QMMF and FIA will work together in our bid to eradicate road fatalities.
“We are reaching the families of the schoolkids so our message is heard loud and clear,” Al Attiyah promised.
“We want to go fast on this project. We want a stop to road accidents. We will do our best in this regard,” Al Attiyah said. “We will do everything to educate the young and old on the perils of rash driving or riding,” the QMMF president said while addressing a group of students.
“We need the help of the media - a tool that will take our message to all the residents of the country and the region. So, Mr Todt has our promise on this matter,” he added.
Yeoh, a Hollywood actress of considerable fame for her roles in Tomorrow Never Dies, Sunshine and Babylon AD, said: “The most important thing is that I am sure you kids are looking to be a driver at some stage. So you have to be aware. You have to be alert not just on the road but otherwise also.”
The 49-year-old added: “You president has given you a message and it looks easy. You feel you already know the (road safety) message. You know you buckle up and put on a safety belt and you are okay. You know the speed limits. You have to understand the rules are there. Always remember that your life is precious. It is precious for you and for others.”
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