Campaign rewards safe drivers

Dubai: Thirty-one year old Abdul Aziz Al Tayer from Dubai picked up safe driving habits while living and studying in the US and after losing close friends in horrific road accidents.

"I always abide by the safety rules even before they were introduced as a regulation, such as wearing seat belts. In the US, people respect road regulations more than motorists in Dubai. I suspect this is the case because of the many nationalities in the city. We still need to build on the culture of respecting road safety regulations," said Al Tayer, who drives a sports car.

Al Tayer was among the 14 winners in the Caltex RoadStar campaign in Dubai on Wednesday to reward drivers for their safe driving skills, which included abiding by traffic rules, using indicators and adhering to speed limits.

The rewards include a cash prize of Dh750 and a Caltex RoadStar certificate for safe driving skills.

He went on saying that he always adheres to road and driving safety rules even to the ones taken for granted such as changing lanes by giving an indicator.

Alero Dabor, from the UK, was trying to learn the road route to Dubai International Airport so that she can pick up a visiting friend when she was stopped by police yesterday.

South African Petro Slabbert was overwhelmed when she was stopped by the police as she was driving on the Trade Centre roundabout. The 28 year old fashion designer teacher has been driving in Dubai for the past two and a half years but has an overall driving experience of 12 years in South Africa.

The winners of the award yesterday were P. P. George; Syed Raheel Ali Shah; Suqhmander Singh; Mohammad Khan; Bootwala Saifee; Amira Ali Bint Qadra; Abdul Aziz Al Tayer; Petro Slabbert; Alero Dabor; Abdul Mons; Hussain Mohammad Al Rahja; Abdul Hassan Mohammad Mojahid; Almas Rashid and Hanan Hamid.