Qatar University and the Ministry of Interior launch International Traffic Safety Conference 26-27 November

Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior (MOI), Qatar University (QU), represented by QU’s Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC) at the College of Engineering (CENG) and MOI’s National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC), launch together the “International Traffic Safety Conference” from 26-27 November 2018, to support and enhance the national strategic vision and objectives of the Qatar National Road Safety Strategy 2013-2022.

The international conference which was held at the Sheraton Hotel is sponsored by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Dolphin Energy, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation, Technolab, and the engineering company Khatib & Alami. Participating in the conference are the General Directorate of Traffic, Ministry of Transport and Communications and The Ministry of Sports and Culture, with the support of international partners represented by United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, International Road Federation and International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences.

In his speech, QU President Dr. Hassan Al-Derham said, “There's no doubt that the organization of this conference for the first time in Qatar will promote Qatar's international status in terms of road safety and preparing national institutions concerned with traffic safety to host the highly anticipated 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar”. He adds, “Throughout the conference, the country will host researchers and transportation and road safety specialists from around the world, as well as engineers, professors and traffic supervisors that are specialized in the field from the Ministry of Interior and The Ministry of Transport and Communications and the Public Works Authority.”

Commenting on Dolphin Energy Qatar’s sponsorship of the conference, General Manager, Mr. Hassan Al-Emadi said, “We are very proud to support this international conference which aims to enhance the national strategic vision and objectives for traffic safety in Qatar. Dolphin Energy is committed to initiatives that promote safety and we hope that the outcomes of this traffic safety conference provides quality solutions for the local community and offers recommendations to improve road safety and reduce traffic accidents. We appreciate the efforts of all the teams involved that make this event a success.”

Commenting on the conference, QU Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Abdulmajeed Hamouda said, “The conference will discuss issues related to traffic safety and provide opportunities for dialogue and discussion at the global level for all issues related to the present and future of traffic safety on the roads. This conference also provides an opportunity for those concerned with traffic safety, both at the institutional level and at the individual level, to discuss and bring together views on the purposeful solutions and how to translate these ideas into strategies that can be utilized in reality.” He adds, “The State of Qatar is organizing this conference for the first time, which will raise Qatar's international standing in the field of traffic safety and prepare the national institutions concerned with traffic to receive the world's anticipated FIFA World Cup event in 2022.”

QTTSC Director, Professor Faris Tarlochan notes the conference topics, “The main themes of the conference are engineering of traffic safety, driving behaviors, youth and traffic safety, education and traffic safety, road users at risk, law enforcement, traffic accident data, post-accident investigations, vehicle internal technology, emergency services, medical and traffic safety, transport safety and security, intelligent transportation systems, traffic flow, road design and paving, public transport, transport economics and policies, traffic management, logistics, urban planning and land use.”

In his speech, Director of Khatib & Alami, Alex Hanna says, “K&A was founded in Beirut in 1964 and is present in Qatar since 1993, and ever since we have contributed in transforming Qatar into the modern state that it is today. Khatib and Alami continues to work towards assisting Qatar in meeting its 2030 National Vision in cooperation with other major stakeholders, such as all authorities and the private sector. Over the years we have been involved and successfully delivered a number of major infrastructure projects with emphasis on traffic safety. To achieve this, we drew from our vast related experience across our geographies and design centers at K&A. To ensure continuous improvement and knowledge and experience exchange, we formed key partnerships with similar renowned institutions such as QU’s QTTSC, the host of this international event.”

In his speech, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Makki said, “Technolab is pleased to be supportive of scientific research at QU. Technolab, established in 2013, is working hard to meet the needs of many fields in Qatar including education, training, scientific and industrial research. The company is honored to be a sponsor of this conference. We do not hesitate to sponsor such conferences. In the interest of society as a whole, we are proud to participate in a conference that holds in its vision the protection of all road users from death and serious accidents and explores ways to find solutions and discuss them to translate these ideas into strategies that can be used on the ground.”