Qatar University’s College of Law is preparing to add a subject on traffic safety to the general curriculum at the institution.
“The initiative stems from the fact that a large number of QU students are motorists and some have been victims of accidents,” assistant professor Dr Basher Saad Zaghloul stated.
“Students will learn traffic safety morals and principles, and some of them will be trained in traffic safety and traffic investigation, which will contribute to the reduction in accidents rates in Qatar,” he told an event.
“Traffic Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility” was the theme of the event held by Qatar Road Safety Studies Centre (QRSSC) at Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) last week to highlight the importance of traffic safety in the country. 
The event was part of QRSSC’s ongoing efforts to engage the wider community on its responsibility to take appropriate safety measures on roads and highways.
Attendees included QU president Dr Hassan Rashid al-Derham, Traffic Department director Brigadier Mohamed Saad al-Kharji, Traffic Awareness Department director Lt Col Mohamed Radi al-Hajri, CENG members including dean Dr Khalifa al-Khalifa, and assistant professor of computer science and engineering Dr Noor al-Maadeed, College of Education associate professor Dr Batoul Muhieddin S Khalifa, as well as faculty, staff, and representatives from QU and the Traffic Department.
Commenting on the event, Dr al-Khalifa said: “Road safety is a critical area of interest in Qatar, and the College of Engineering continues to demonstrate its commitment to citizen safety on Qatar’s roads by engaging community members in a range of awareness programs and activities, and in developing research to find sustainable solutions to road and traffic 
challenges in Qatar. 
Dr al-Khalifa stressed the role of family and community in considering the values to which individuals should adhere, to raise their awareness of traffic safety with the idea of ‘removing harm from the roads,’ which should be known by both children and adults. 
He suggested that more workshops should be run for children and parents on how to improve children’s knowledge and skills to change behaviour by following their parents’ 
example. 
Brigadier al-Kharji expressed his gratitude to QU for its commitment in providing the community with studies and research in traffic safety which benefit Qatar and its people, and in organising various road safety initiatives. 
He also stressed the importance of strengthening both parties’ efforts to increase the community’s awareness of Qatar’s traffic safety challenges. “Such events are a valuable addition to our efforts to better respond to these 
challenges,” he said.
Colonel al-Hajri said the mission of the Traffic Awareness Department supports all events that serve to spread a culture of traffic awareness among community members and school students, which is achieved through joint events, initiatives, and 
collaborations. 
“This event is in line with the national strategy on road safety to reduce accidents and raise community awareness of road safety,” he added.