QU QTTSC training courses address global road safety challenges

The Qatar Transportation and Traffic Safety Center (QTTSC) at Qatar University College of Engineering (QU-CENG) recently organized and hosted two training courses on “Roadside and Median Safety” and “Global Road Safety: Public Health Trends, Road Safety Strategies and Policy Actions”.

The training course on “Roadside and Median Safety” brought delegates from QTTSC, Qatar Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Public Works Authority (Ashghal), engineering companies and consulting offices. Many international traffic safety barriers suppliers from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK also participated in the training. They presented samples and delivered presentations on barriers specifications and how barriers align with international standards. The training course on “Global Road Safety: Public Health Trends, Road Safety Strategies and Policy Actions” brought together 30 experts from QTTSC, Qatar Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar Ministry of Health, Qatar Ministry of Interior, Qatar Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Hamad Medical Corporation, and driving learning schools in Qatar, as well as QU faculty and graduate students.

It featured presentations delivered by QTTSC Assistant Research Professor Dr Wael Alhajyaseen, Former Assistant Minister of Serbia Mr Demir Hadzic, International Road Federation International Programs and Advocacy Director Mr Brendan Halleman, World Bank Transport Sector Coordinator for the GCC region and North Africa Mr Said Dahdah, and Qatar National Traffic Safety Office Manager Dr Kim Jraiw. They addressed a wide range of issues such as “Qatar Strategic Plan for Road Safety”, “Safe System Approach and its Application”, “Fundamentals of Road Traffic Injury Prevention”, “Assessing the Health and Economic Burden of RTIs”, “Evaluating Road Safety Interventions”, “Collecting Data and Planning Interventions”, and “Risk Factors and Selecting Interventions”. Other discussed topics included “Influencing Policy Discourse - applications for Qatar” and “Incorporating Vulnerable Road Users into Safety Policies - Applications for Qatar”.

Commenting on the events, CENG Dean Dr Khalifa Al-Khalifa said: “In hosting such training courses, QTTSC is demonstrating its position as the leading center in Qatar that contributes to advancing a culture of traffic safety within the community and to providing decision-makers with sustainable solutions that will ultimately benefit the society. These courses are designed to make thorough changes in traffic safety conditions. They engage professionals and engineers from public and private sectors in Qatar and beyond to develop a traffic safety culture for both drivers and pedestrians in line with QU efforts to raise public awareness and responsibility.”