ABU DHABI, UAE – Nissan, in collaboration with RoadSafetyUAE, has launched its UAE-wide roadshow to raise awareness and increase student participation for the "Aqdar Drive Safely" program and competition, which was launched earlier in January.
Aqdar Drive Safely is a "for students by students" program that aims to instill safety and awareness in the minds of university students across the UAE, while empowering them to become "agents of change" in their communities.
The program is organized under the patronage of Lt. General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the UAE, Khalifa Empowerment Program for Students (Aqdar) and Nissan in collaboration with RoadSafetyUAE.
The nationwide awareness roadshow recently made its first visit to the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), Dubai Men's College. The roadshow includes an interactive digital pledge board where students will make pledges not to drive while using a mobile phone. There is also a simulator to demonstrate the loss of road concentration while texting and driving, and another safety belt simulator that demonstrates the physical forces experienced when a vehicle overturns. Nissan also has a number of demos and interactive displays to engage students.
With the theme "Usage of Mobile Phones while Driving," this year's competition requires students to develop three elements for submission: a road safety campaign, a mobile phone application and a sculpture. The top three winners in each category will receive cash rewards totaling AED 180,000 and will get the chance to implement their projects in the UAE with the support of Nissan Middle East.
"Using mobile phones while driving is a key factor in many accidents involving youth," said Thomas Edelmann of RoadSafetyUAE. "According to the UAE's Ministry of Interior, approximately 63 percent of all traffic accidents during the first nine months of 2015 were caused by individuals aged between 18 and 35 and accounted for approximately 34 percent of all road fatalities. The use of mobile phones while driving was widely recognized as the main cause of car accidents among these young drivers."
To help drive engagement, Nissan is encouraging everyone to take a pledge on the program website or during the road shows visiting numerous locations across the UAE. Pledgers who commit to stop using a mobile phone while driving will have their photos showcased on a fleet of Nissan vehicles participating in the road show.
Complementing the program activities and road show is a widespread social media campaign to drive awareness among students – the initiative's main audience, reaching them via their favorite social channels.
More information on the program is currently available at aqdardrivesafely.com where participating students will be able to submit their entries.
About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2015, the company sold more than 5.4 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 12.2 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceania; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and Mitsubishi Motors since 2016 under the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/. You can also follow @NissanMotor on Twitter.
# # #
Contact
Yolande Pineda
yolande@nissan-me.ae
Mohammed Al Tawil
Mohammed.Tawil@nissan-me.ae