Dubai: The three-day Mobil 1 RoadStar campaign concluded after awarding safe drivers in Sharjah.
The Mobil 1 RoadStar campaign, in its 35th edition, awards safe drivers who adhere to traffic rules and regulations such as using indicators, wearing seat belts and following the speed limit as well as lane discipline. The campaign aims to promote safe driving in the UAE.
On Tuesday, nine lucky drivers were awarded in Dubai for their safe driving — Amnah Rashid Saeed Ali, Fatima Rashid, Jamal Mohammad Al Musa, from the UAE; Omar Abdul Gaffar from Oman; Bahaa Wakil, from Egypt; Masih Nikdar Shirazian, from Denmark; and Ravi Kumar Chhotte, Vinu Divakaran and Jose Vedakkaumcherry, from India.
Winners receive a certificate from the police authority of the emirate where they are stopped and awarded a cash prize of Dh1,000.
Vinu Divakaran, 39, a delivery driver for a fresh foods company, said that the award felt like “winning the lottery”.
Divakaran, who said he would not be getting his full salary for March as he had fallen and injured himself during his probation period, expressed his happiness at having received the award. “I have a small salary and this Dh1,000 will really make a difference,” he said.
Divakaran was stopped by RoadStar while he was on his way back to his office after having finished his deliveries on Al Khail Road.
“They told me that I had a fine of Dh1,000. I felt afraid wondering how I would pay it ... when they handed me an [envelope] and there was the money. It was like winning the lottery,” he said.
Traffic rules in Dubai, Divakaran said, “are good and as a driver, I should drive properly so people do not get hurt. It is safety for the driver first and also for others”.
Masih Nikdar Shirazian, 35, CEO of inseller.com, was stopped with his friends when they were on their way to a restaurant.
“I was on Jumeirah Beach Road with my friends and we were going to have a meal before I dropped them at the airport. It was a nice surprise. My friends — from Germany — were amazed that the police were involved in such a campaign to promote safe driving,” he said.
Shirizian, who has been living in the UAE for 10 years, said he is sure the campaign will make a difference in how people drive as they can know about it through word of mouth. “I have already told some of my friends about it.”
He said he will be taking his friends out for a nice meal with the prize money.
Same Al Ansary, general Manager of EMA Lubricants Company (ExxonMobil JV), sole marketers of Mobil lubricants in UAE, said, “We are glad that the Mobil 1 RoadStar Contest is reaching out to all strata of society. We congratulate the winners and are certain that this campaign will have a far-reaching and positive outcome on driving standards in the UAE.”
