Shell launched Sunday its road safety campaign “Safer Roads” at the King Saud University in Riyadh. The program targets teenagers and young adults with a message that complying with basic rules on the road saves lives - including theirs. The program, launched in cooperation with the King Saud University, and under the patronage of Dr. Abdullah Salman Al Salman, Vice Rector for Educational and Academic Affairs, has also the support and participation of Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Shell Road Safety Ambassador. Prince Abdulaziz's remarkable career as a racing professional and his passion for road safety make him the perfect role model for Saudi youth and will make the “Safer Roads” campaign even more impactful. Prince Abdulaziz said "it is shocking to see the road safety statistics in the Kingdom and the number of lives that are lost daily, unnecessarily. Most of these accidents are preventable by complying with a few basic rules. Our mission is to make our roads safer by mobilizing our young drivers to behave differently. Shell is a global leader in road safety and I am pleased to be able to contribute to the success of the campaign.” Shell is launching this year's campaign under the slogan, “Are you Serious?” and it aims to create awareness, to guide, counsel and advocate change to the appalling driving standards found on Saudi roads. With the 2011 being another record year, with over 540,000 traffic accidents, resulting in 39,000 injuries and over 1,700 deaths, this campaign will also showcase and challenge certain driving behaviors that many consider to be undesirable. The Campaign will make extensive use of social media for targeted messaging. The campaign includes a weekly road safety contest accessed via a smart application and attractive prizes for the winners. “Safer Roads” will also go public at selected universities and commercial centers. The benefits of defensive driving will be demonstrated using a real-life seatbelt convincer and driving simulators. During the press conference, Shell unveiled an innovative “Driving Quiz” that can be uploaded to any Apple or Android smart phone. Patrick Van Daele, Shell country chairman for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, said “this smart phone ‘Driving Quiz' is designed to create awareness about traffic rules, laws, signs and etiquette through a novel and interactive approach. The Smart App will also be linked to Facebook and Twitter, where the users can post their respective scores and there is also an optional ‘I Pledge' section, where the user can volunteer to uphold or abide by certain driving related rules, laws, signs and etiquette.” The “Safer Roads” campaign's Facebook page was launched on March 3, 2013 and during its two week of interaction, the weekly total reach surpassed the quarter of a million mark. On the other hand, the offline activities will last for six weeks, with a branded booth to be set up in five different malls in Riyadh, in addition to four universities. The full schedule and the elements of the offline activities will be posted on the Facebook page and Twitter account. – SG
