The nationwide “Tell A Friend” road safety campaign fronted by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is again featuring at the Salalah Tourism Festival, as part of the ongoing drive to educate people across the Sultanate on the importance of road safety. This year the theme is focused on road safety for children.
PDO is partnering with the Royal Oman Police and Shell Oman Marketing to manage a stand for four days along with the Oman Road Safety Association (ORSA), OLNG and ORPIC. The roadshow commenced today (Tuesday) under the auspices of His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Aqeel Al Ibrahim, Acting Deputy Governor of Dhofar and senior representatives from the ROP and the participating companies.
This week’s event from 1st to 4th August will run from 10 am to 10 pm at Salalah Gardens Shopping Mall. Campaign volunteers will distribute free child car seats and other gifts, and the programme will include live discussions with visitors, address their questions and offer information relating to children and road safety. Visitors will have the opportunity to try a seat-belt convincer, which simulates the impact of a car crash at just 7 km per hour. There is also a “kid’s corner” to help children learn about the importance of road safety in a fun and engaging way.
PDO’s Tell A Friend Campaign Co-ordinator Said Al Harthi said: “This is the fifth consecutive year that we have appeared at the Salalah Khareef Festival, an event which provides us with a great platform to spread the message about safe driving and this year our focus is on keeping our children safe on the Sultanate’s roads.
It is crucial to educate both parents and young people on how vital it is for children to be seated correctly and safely in vehicles and according to the appropriate age group.”
At Tuesday’s opening, PDO also launched a competition on Social Media, targeting school bus safety. Details can be found on Twitter handles @pdo_om and @tesma3mini.
The “Tell A Friend” campaign was officially launched by PDO in Muscat in January 2013 with the aim of lowering the number of road accidents in the Sultanate. It targets important areas of road safety such as responsible driving, speed management, vehicle maintenance, correct seat belt usage and driver fatigue. The campaign has used a multi-media approach, including television, cinema, radio, newspapers, Facebook and Twitter to get its message across to all generations.
The campaign’s roadshow has travelled widely across the country in recent years, visiting many towns including Ibri, Nizwa, Khasab, Shaleem and Al Jazir.