Shell has launched its road safety campaign ‘Safer Roads’ at the King Saud University in Riyadh targeting young adults with a message that complying with basic rules on the road saves lives - including theirs.

The programme was launched in cooperation with the King Saud University and with support and participation of Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Turki Al Faisal as Shell road safety ambassador.

At the launch of the campaign, 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 mobilising 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 behaviours 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 centres. 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.”

“We address road safety with passion and energy – in our operations but also in the communities where we operate. We have seen our programmes around the world save lives – that gives us the comfort that we are on the right track,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service