Dubai: Dubai Police General Command, in collaboration with Nissan Middle East and Abdul Wahid (AW) Al Rostamani Group – the exclusive distributor of Nissan vehicles in Dubai, Sharjah, and the Northern Emirates – has honoured the winners of the "Drive with Awareness" campaign, launched last July to enhance road safety as part of the strategic partnership between the three parties.

The grand prize winners were UAE national Khaled Mohammad Al Zarooni and Mr. Abdul Raheem Noor Mohammed from the People's Republic of Bangladesh, each receiving a Nissan Kicks. The winners were selected following their participation in the interactive traffic competition launched by Dubai Police across its official social media platforms.

Brigadier Juma Salem bin Suwaidan, Director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police, affirmed that the "Drive with Awareness" campaign is part of ongoing efforts to enhance road safety and raise traffic awareness among all segments of society. He indicated that the campaign focuses on key causes of accidents, including failure to maintain a safe distance, sudden swerving, speeding, mobile phone use, distracted driving, failure to stay in lane, and stopping in the middle of the road in a way that obstructs traffic and endangers lives. "Driving with awareness means drivers taking responsibility for themselves and others. Traffic compliance is not merely about avoiding violations, but a civilised behaviour and a shared responsibility to protect lives and property," he added.

Brig. Juma bin Suwaidan stated that the campaign aligns with the Dubai Government's strategies and objectives aimed at enhancing road safety and reducing traffic accidents, fatalities, and injuries through the dissemination of traffic awareness and the adoption of best preventive practices, driven by Dubai Police's belief that awareness is a cornerstone of the road safety system.

Furthermore, he noted that the "Drive with Awareness" campaign included an interactive traffic competition across Dubai Police's social media platforms, designed to promote awareness of traffic laws and regulations in an innovative way that encourages community participation and learning, while gauging public understanding of traffic concepts and rules and motivating them to adopt safe driving behaviours.

The Director of the General Department of Traffic explained that the competition featured questions and awareness content aimed at reinforcing a positive traffic culture, and gave participants the chance to enter a draw to win two cars provided by Nissan – enhancing community engagement with the campaign and encouraging traffic knowledge acquisition in an impactful way. He stressed that the competition is one of the tools supporting the campaign's objectives of delivering awareness messages to all segments of society.

Brig. Juma bin Suwaidan commended the outstanding efforts of Nissan Middle East and Abdul Wahid Al Rostamani Group in supporting the campaign and contributing to the implementation of its awareness programmes. He noted that their active cooperation and provision of prizes helped expand the reach of the campaign's messages, increase community engagement, and motivate the public to acquire and apply traffic knowledge in their daily behaviour. He also affirmed that this partnership reflects their commitment to social responsibility and their dedication to supporting Dubai Police's efforts to promote a culture of safe driving and build a more aware and law-abiding community.

Enhancing Road Safety
Meanwhile, Mr. Thierry Sabbagh, Divisional Vice President and President of Nissan and Infiniti in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, India, and CIS, congratulated the grand prize winners and expressed his appreciation to Dubai Police General Command and Abdul Wahid Al Rostamani Group for the success of this initiative.

Sabbagh said: "At Nissan, we believe that enhancing road safety is a shared social responsibility that requires the integration of efforts between the public and private sectors. Our contribution of a Nissan Kicks to each winner within this campaign aims to encourage community members, particularly the youth and new drivers, to adopt safe and responsible driving behaviours."

He added: "We are delighted with the wide engagement and positive interaction the campaign received across Dubai Police's digital platforms, and we reaffirm our continued commitment to supporting national initiatives that contribute to protecting lives and fostering a culture of safety on the roads, ultimately building a safer and more sustainable mobility environment in the UAE."

Encouraging Mindful Driving
Hussam Baghdad, Chief Operating Officer at Abdul Wahid Al Rostamani Group, said: "We view the customer experience as an integrated relationship that encompasses the vehicle, service, and extends to the driver's safety and awareness on the road. We also believe that our responsibility towards the community gives us a role in supporting initiatives that encourage mindful driving and responsible behaviour, which is what the 'Drive with Awareness' campaign embodied by engaging the public with practical messages closely aligned with everyday driving realities."

He added: "We are proud of the collaboration this initiative brought together between Dubai Police General Command, Nissan Middle East, and Abdul Wahid Al Rostamani Group, and of the community engagement around a message that concerns everyone's safety. We congratulate the winners on this occasion and thank everyone who participated and interacted with the campaign. We look forward to the awareness it sought to instil remaining present in our daily driving decisions and behaviours, because the true impact of awareness begins when knowledge turns into practice."