Clubs in the ACTAC region today agreed to seek increased training on the successful implementation of road safety campaigns as they aim to save lives across the area. Following his presentation of a report on road safety in the region, Hani Shaban, Vice President of the Syrian Automobile Club and road safety coordinator for both the ACTAC and MENA (Sport), said the region needed to improve its road safety record. “We discussed the difference we could make in our countries and the Arab region by getting more involved in road safety projects and initiatives.
This is crucial as we are one of the highest risk regions in terms of road safety,” he said. “All of the meeting attendees decided to address a letter to the FIA to express our support for President Todt’s road safety initiatives, including the Save Kids Lives project and the outcomes of the Brasilia conference.” “As a second step, we realised that our main problem is that the Arab clubs are not sufficiently equipped at the moment to take on road safety project planning,” he added. “We wonder about the main areas we should focus on, about the main difficulties encountered in our countries.” As such, he said the clubs would seek training on the issue. “We need support to train the officials of our clubs on how to plan these projects,” he said. “ACTAC has decided to dedicate funding to support this project. We will organise a seminar in 2016 with the University of St Joseph in Lebanon, which offers a master degree in road safety supported by the FIA. The seminar will aim at preparing us on how to plan campaigns and projects.”