Al Ain Traffic Boosts its Efforts to Raise the Awareness of Pilgrims Travelling by Land

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Friday, September 19th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

The Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police intensified its efforts to boost awareness of pilgrims travelling by land. As a part of the measures undertaken in this regard, the directorate  has allocated  an area  within the pilgrims’ tent at Al Ghuweifat border point to offer assistance to pilgrims’ transport companies  from inside and outside the UAE and provide drivers with tips and awareness-raising publications to ensure their safety during the trip to the Holy land.

Colonel Hamad Nasser Al Bloushi, Head of Peripheral Regions Traffic Department at the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police, stressed that the directorate has intensified traffic control on various external roads in Abu Dhabi, and on the roads leading up to Al Ghuweifat border point. “This step aims to provide safety to pilgrims traveling by road to the Holy land to perform the Hajj ritual this year, and offer them all the facilities and assistance during their journey to and from the Holy Land,” added Colonel Al Bloushi.

As part of the social campaign under the slogan “Your Safety”, Head of Peripheral Regions Traffic Department urged all pilgrims’ transport companies to make sure that their buses meet the technical specifications, suitable for long distance road journeys, and to be furnished with comfortable  seating. Furthermore, he called on them to carry out a full maintenance for their buses before leaving the country, to double check their vehicles’ tires and change them if they are worn-out. “An extra driver must be present in all pilgrims’ buses, in order for both drivers to take shifts, as a precautionary step against accidents caused by tiredness and exhaustion in long distance travel,” Colonel Al Bloushi added.

He also emphasized the need to comply with the permitted 60-cm cargo limit to avoid traffic accidents due to overloading. He also urged drivers to exercise caution while driving, wear the seatbelt, avoid using mobile phones, respect signs on the road, avoid overtaking other buses and call the operations room in the event of a bus failure.

Colonel Al Bloushi also reiterated the need to abide with legal speed limits, take all necessary precautions and to be extremely cautious while travelling at night or in the early hours of the morning, pay attention and reduce speed. He also emphasized the need to park the vehicle on the right side of the road in case of poor visibility, take some rest, stop driving if they feel tired and then resume their journey. Furthermore, he encouraged them to abide by legal speed limits within the Saudi Arabia during the journey to and from the Holy Land, wishing them a safe trip.

It is worth mentioning that the Directorate General of Police Operations at Abu Dhabi Police, in coordination with the competent police departments, launched an awareness-raising initiative to enhance pilgrims’ safety on Thursday. The initiative, which will be implemented by the Security Media Department at the General Secretariat of the Office of H.H Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior,  comes as a part of its social campaign under the slogan “Your Safety”. It is designed to raise the awareness of pilgrims about safety and prevention requirements, and familiarize them with the services provided by the Abu Dhabi Police through its different divisions. It also aims to promote awareness-raising efforts and increase safety levels, especially traffic safety, to ensure a safe and accident free pilgrimage.

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department 

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

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