Abu Dhabi: Taxi and bus drivers attended an awareness event organised by Abu Dhabi Police, allowing participants to have an open discussion on how to keep the roads safe on Monday.
The event discussed a number of road safety issues, including speeding and reckless driving, with police officials explaining how drivers can avoid such dangerous situations. “It was a really good session because it provided a platform for taxi drivers to come together with the police and to be able to have a conversation and to ask questions,” said Johnson Adewale, a Nigerian taxi driver.
“Having an open communication with the police is helpful because from our side as taxi drivers we get to understand where they are coming from, and we see that the rules and fines they are putting in place is really all about ensuring safety, and not because they want to just fine us,” he added.
“Events like these show that the police are our friends, and that we need to work together with them and to follow the road safety rules they have put in place,” he said.
Adewale said he hoped taxi companies would let their drivers attend more such events in the future, as he believed they would benefit a lot of drivers.
“My company let me come here today to attend the event. It was my first time to attend such a talk and I learnt so much from it personally, so I think that whenever it’s possible all taxi companies should do the same for their drivers because taxi drivers can learn so much when they come to awareness talks like these.
“They can learn things that they might have not known before, or they can get a clarification about a rule that they aren’t sure about, the police are here giving direct answers and clarifying everything,” he added.
Ramesh Kumar, a taxi driver from Nepal, said: “They gave a lot of information and advice, for example to always maintain a safe distance, use indicators while turning, and also the correct areas and places to stop the car, which for taxis is especially important because we can get into trouble and fined if we stop at the wrong place,” he said.
“It was my first time at such an event, and I am glad I came because sometimes you might think you know all of the information, but then you learn something new. I’m happy they’re doing these events and inviting taxi drivers to come to them, I think a lot of drivers can benefit from these talks,” he added.
Ziya Ullah, a Pakistani school bus driver also attended the event along with his colleagues.
“Following the road safety rules is something that I take very seriously, I have been a school bus driver for five years now, and I always make sure that I do everything correctly.
“They gave a lot of good advice on how to drive safely, but what I also liked was that the drivers and audience were able to engage and ask the police questions as well, so if there was something we didn’t understand we could ask them,” he added.
