Corporate Road Code programme imparts safe driving practices to hundreds of UAE students
In line with the efforts of the UAE government, UPS has exceeded its goal of educating new drivers on safe driving techniques by 44% one year after its initial launch in the UAE.
This initiative is part of the UPS Road Code safe driving programme, set up in collaboration with Emirates Foundation, an independent national organization set up by the Abu Dhabi Government, to facilitate public-private funded initiatives for the empowerment of youth across the UAE.
“UPS leads the industry in safety practices. We are proud to have exceeded last year’s goal to share our safe driving learning with the 576 young drivers in the UAE who are now better-informed and safer drivers,” said Benoit Biard, Human Resources Director for UPS in the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa region (ISMEA).
The UPS Foundation has awarded $100,000 to the Emirates Foundation to continue expanding international growth of the UPS Road Code training to the UAE as part of its efforts to facilitate public-private funded initiatives.
Commitment to safe driving
Maytha Al Habsi, CEO of Emirates Foundation, praised the passion of youth volunteers who are playing a primary role in the UPS road safety campaign saying: “Through our continued partnership with UPS, we remain committed to employ our expertise and youth and, train them on the right skills and knowledge to improve their driving habits,” she commented.
The trainers use road code simulators to drive safety awareness among teens by enabling each student to have a hands-on-the-wheel virtual experience to identify road hazards. The simulators also help students understand the consequences of distracted driving, and, how phones, for instance, need to be managed.
UPS Road Code is inspired from safety training that UPS’s drivers receive to help them create the most accident-free environment possible. To date, 10,504 UPS drivers are part of the elite ‘Circle of Honour’ (COH) programme, comprised of drivers who have gone 25 years or more without an avoidable accident.
Globally, these ‘Circle of Honour’ drivers have logged 14 billion miles (22.54 bn km) and achieved more than 257,221 years of safe driving throughout their careers. That is enough miles to circle the earth at the equator 562,000 times, or make 200 round-trips to the planet Mars.
