Dhofar traffic symposium raises awareness on road safety rules

Times of Oman

3 days ago

Salalah: The Directorate General of Culture, Sports, and Youth in the Governorate of Dhofar, in collaboration with the Traffic Safety Institute, on Wednesday organised an awareness symposium on 'Traffic Safety'.
The symposium was held at the Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment in Salalah.
The symposium aimed to raise awareness among youth and the community about the importance of adhering to traffic rules and reducing accidents.
It also sought to foster an environment supportive of sports and youth achievements, and to solidify institutional partnerships among various security, civil, and private entities concerned with community awareness, public health, and safety.
Ali Mohammed Baqi, Director of the Sports and Youth Activities Department, delivered a speech emphasising the importance of cooperation between government and non-governmental institutions in providing awareness programmes targeting all segments of society.
He highlighted the Directorate's efforts to implement educational activities that meet the needs of young people and enhance their traffic awareness and safe behaviour.
The symposium featured three working papers. The first, presented by Major Shihab Ahmed Al Shanfari, an officer at the Traffic Safety Institute in Dhofar, reviewed the role of institutes in awareness and driver qualification, the risks of certain traffic behaviours, and statistics indicating a 9 percent decrease in traffic accidents and injuries, and a 2 percent decrease in fatalities between 2023 and 2024, along with the efforts of the Royal Oman Police and safety institutes in this regard.
The second paper, presented by Abdullah Ramadan Bait Majzih, a social welfare expert at the Directorate General of Social Development in Dhofar Governorate, addressed methods of dealing with people with disabilities and providing their requirements to ensure their safety, especially in contexts related to movement and traffic.
The third paper, presented by Basem Jumaan Al Maas, a senior nurse in the Emergency Department at Sultan Qaboos Hospital, highlighted the role of the emergency department in crisis management and responding to health emergencies resulting from accidents. He noted that the department received 2,668 cases of various traffic accidents during the first half of 2025.
The symposium programme also included a visual presentation featuring community awareness messages, a musical recitation segment, and a recognition ceremony for the participants.