Dubai Police family road trip carries safety message

Videos is part of the Ministry of Interior's Summer Without Accidents Campaign.

A screen grab from a video released by Dubai Police offering travelers safety tips. Courtesy Dubai Police
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A new video produced by the Ministry of the Interior and published on social media by Dubai Police applies television-style comedy — and in one scene, serious drama — to promote safety on the roads.

The short film featuring actors was published three weeks after Dubai Police released another video showing a family committing a raft of offences to hammer home the message of safe driving..

In their latest video, dramatic music plays as the soundtrack to a story of a family getting ready for a road trip. The father is seen piling luggage and boxes on a rack mounted to a station wagon. The more he piles on, the lower the vehicle’s body presses toward the tyres. Once he completes packing the luggage, the father enters his house.

“Are you ready?” he asks his wife and three boys.

”Yes, we’re ready, we’re ready,” the wife responds, annoyed. “Did you check the tyre?”

“Yes,” he nods unconvincingly.

“And the axel?”

Affirmative.

“And the brakes?” asks the wife, who is wearing oversize sunglasses and has a large handbag slung over her arm.

“Yes,” he confirms.

“Inshallah, you’re not using a rope extension?” she asks with caution.

The man shakes his head no.

“God protect us,” says the wife, briefly raising her index finger to the heavens.

The family of five rushes out of their home, pile into their car and are next shown driving down a street. A loud pop is heard as one of the tyres blows, sending the vehicle swerving across the lane and spilling luggage all over the scene.

With his car parked between the shoulder and the laneway, the father bends down next to the tyre to see the problem. His driver side door is wide open and two of his children stretch out the passenger window facing the road to watch their father work on the tyre. That’s when a large truck enters the scene loudly blowing its horn just seconds before it strikes the entire family.

Luckily, the impact and its gruesome after-effects are cut out, but the viewer clearly gets the idea.

Rolling text appears in Arabic: Would you let your neglect determine your fate?

The entire scene replays from the beginning with the father making the right checks the second time around. At this point, the following advice is printed on screen as a checklist for anyone who embarks on a road trip:

1.       Ensure the luggage is secured

2.       Make sure you don’t have excess weight

3.       Check that the tyres are safe

4.       Check the brake is working

5.       Don’t use your mobile phone while driving

6.       Stay within your lane while driving

7.       Drive safely and within the speed limits

They end the video by wishing travellers a safe return home.

The video is part of the ministry’s Summer Without Accidents Campaign.

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