Syrian man pleased to be UAE ambassador for road safety

Osama Khalid is one of 100 Traffic Safety Ambassadors chosen from a pool of 2,000.

Osama Khalid is one of the 100 chosen to be a Traffic Safety Ambassador. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

ABU DHABI // Osama Khalid, 30, is proud of his new role as an ambassador for road safety.

One hundred Traffic Safety Ambassadors were chosen from a pool of 2,000 applicants who were willing to help raise community awareness about road safety and traffic laws.

Last week, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, met the ambassadors and thanked them for supporting the ministry’s efforts to reduce road-traffic fatalities in the UAE. He presented them with certificates and interacted with them.

“I had the great honour of meeting Sheikh Saif,” said Mr Khalid, a Syrian who was born and brought up in Abu Dhabi. “My dad who passed away nearly five years ago always had a high level of regard for Sheikh Saif.”

His late father used to tell him about Sheikh Saif’s kindness, and how he would treat people fairly, regardless of religion, ethnicity or race.

“When I got my badge, Sheikh Saif and his people made me, as a non-Emirati, feel important,” he said. “They are putting their trust in both Emiratis and expatriates to make a meaningful contribution to this initiative.”

Selecting the ambassadors is in line with Abu Dhabi Police’s aim to improve traffic awareness and efforts to save lives, and preserve public and private property, according to Brig Gen Hussein Al Harthi, of the traffic and patrols directorate.

To qualify as an ambassador, individuals must be age 13 or older, active on social media, participate actively in the UAE Together initiatives, and attend meetings with Abu Dhabi Police.

UAE Together is a campaign by Abu Dhabi Police to increase awareness about traffic rules and regulations, to reduce accidents.

“I want to help raise awareness of the dangers of texting while driving,” Mr Khalid said. “I would like to propose a policy making the installation of a mobile disabling network mandatory. I think that’s the only way we can stop using the mobile while driving.”

He is representing the Corvette UAE Club, set up in 2007 to promote the importance of safe driving and road ethics. The club’s most recent campaign was “My Drive, My Personality” to encourage safe driving.

“I can help Abu Dhabi Police by setting a good example to other drivers,” Mr Khalid said. “We can reduce road-traffic deaths if we work together in promoting road safety.”