KUWAIT: Secretary General of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers Mohammad Koman on Wednesday called for enhancing traffic awareness and adopting smart systems to reduce road accidents and improve road safety across Arab countries. Speaking at the opening session of the 21st Arab Conference of Heads of Traffic Departments—chaired by Kuwait—Koman stressed that the majority of traffic accidents stem from human error, largely due to a lack of awareness and failure to adhere to traffic laws and regulations. He underscored the need to strengthen public awareness campaigns to address this issue and improve safety on Arab roads.
Conference Chairman Brigadier General Munif Al-Mutairi and Secretary General of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers Mohammed Koman. – KUNA photos
Koman noted that the conference is addressing several key topics, including a proposal to establish a unified Arab traffic analytical database, the adoption of the smart traffic awareness system known as MetaHabe, and the exchange of experiences and best practices in traffic regulation, safety, and accident reduction among member states. He emphasized the importance of developing an analytical traffic database to provide accurate and comprehensive data, enabling policymakers and authorities to implement effective measures to enhance road safety. He urged Arab countries to contribute data and statistics on traffic accidents to enrich the proposed platform.
Highlighting innovative approaches to traffic awareness, Koman cited the smart system adopted by the General Command of Fujairah Police in the United Arab Emirates as a successful model. The system earned second place in the Prince Naif Award for Arab Security in the category of pioneering security programs, leading to its inclusion in the conference agenda as a benchmark for best practice. The conference saw participation from heads of traffic departments and representatives from Arab countries, along with officials from the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences. Kuwait was represented by Brigadier Munif Al-Mutairi, Colonel Yousef Al-Haddad, and First Lieutenant Nawaf Al-Mutairi from the General Traffic Department.— KUNA
