The Students for Road Safety initiative, as part of its efforts to encourage positive road behaviour in Qatar, teamed up with the General Directorate of Traffic to hold a special event at Gulf Driving School last week.
The event targeted beginner drivers prior to receiving their licences with one-to-one coaching in a driving simulator.
The Students for Road Safety initiative was launched in December 2013 by programme owners Maersk Oil Qatar and the General Directorate of Traffic, within the Ministry of Interior, as part of the national One Second road safety brand.
The programme seeks to transform 12- to 18-year-olds into road safety ambassadors through interactive presentations and the use of a “one-of-its-kind” simulator in the Gulf region to practise safe driving habits.
The eight-day campaign with Gulf Driving School included in-depth training sessions for more than 150 young drivers. The sessions featured an assembly presentation by Lieutenant Fahad al-Abdullah from the General Directorate of Traffic, in which he stressed the burden of responsibility that falls on driving instructors to teach learner drivers to protect not only their safety but those of all families in Qatar.
One-on-one comprehensive sessions in the driving simulator with specialised instructors from the Students for Road Safety initiative helped the students become better drivers and also showed participants how quickly road conditions could change, emphasising the need to always be aware, according to a statement.
“I commend Students for Road Safety and Gulf Driving School for working together to support our efforts, particularly with beginner drivers,” said Lieutenant al-Abdullah.
Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad al-Thani, deputy managing director at Maersk Oil Qatar, said: “This initiative is further evidence of the success and importance of the Student for Road Safety programme in improving driving conditions in Qatar.”
Mohamed Ali al-Zain , manager of Gulf Driving School, added: “We hope this opportunity will instil correct driving behaviours in our young drivers from the start and ultimately decrease the number of accidents in Qatar.”  
One of the young learner drivers who completed a number of training sessions in the simulator said: “The simulator is amazing and has really helped me experience road behaviours like they actually are in Qatar before I gain my driver’s licence.”
In the past two years, 4,500 students and young drivers have taken part in the Students for Road Safety programme.
During Ramadan 2015, more than 1,000 youth benefited from the Students for Road Safety simulator while it was positioned at Souq Waqif. Participants, 75% of whom were teenagers and young drivers between the ages of 12 and 25 years with 38% being Qatari, drove the simulator and learned how to keep safe on Qatar’s roads.