Abu Dhabi: Being pulled over by the police is not often a good sign, unless a camera crew, and members of the Caltex Roadstar team are around to give you the safe-driver certificate and the Dh,1000 reward.
Adhering to the basic principles of good driving, such as using a seatbelt, a mobile phone headset, and road signals as well as abiding by the speed limit are only some of the criteria being considered by the campaign’s organizers.
Launched on Sunday in its 28th edition, Roadstar is distributing Dh10,000 daily to safe drivers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
Momoco Marie has been driving for four years in the UAE and calls her proper use of the road “customary”.
“In Japan, the road rules are very strict. It is now my nature to abide by traffic rules,” the first winner said.
Even after receiving the shock of being followed, stopped and photographed, during a visit to her friend, Momoco continued to place her rented car’s sun-shade in without a second thought.
Working for the Red Crescent, Ali Kutty was among the winners of the campaign’s first day. “I will donate the money for Indians back home celebrating Eid Al Adha,” Kutty told Gulf News.
Ciel Events Director and founder of the RoadStar campaign, Roshanara Sait said that the campaign not only seeks to create awareness on the need to adhere to safety norms but also by giving away Dh1,000 to each winner it lends a human touch to an issue that affects a wide spectrum of the society.
She added: “RoadStar acts as a reminder that one has to practice good driving habits and respect road rules at all times, more so as the UAE is home to 100-plus nationalities with different driving backgrounds and culture.”
Following Abu Dhabi, the campaign will move to Sharjah for one day, October 16, and thereafter make its presence felt on the roads of Dubai for two days, from October 17-18.
Over the entire five-day period from October 14 to 18, a total of Dh50,000 will be given out in prize money.
Apart from Caltex, the campaign is co-sponsored by co-sponsored by AXA Insurance and Nissan, with Gulf News, Wheels and Radio 2 as media partners.
