DUBAI — The “Road Traffic Safety Initiative”, launched by Community Jameel in collaboration with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors at the beginning of last year, has won two awards at the 2017 Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) Award ceremony held at the JW Marriot Marquis Hotel here. The initiative was recognized as “Best in KSA” and received the “Silver Award in Social Responsibility and Environmental PR.”

The “Road Traffic Safety Initiative” was developed and launched in Saudi Arabia by Community Jameel Initiatives, in cooperation with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors and Toyota. The partnership offers major international road safety programs and is committed to the highest in safety standards. Abdul Latif Jameel Motors is devoted to applying these standards across all its maintenance centers around the Kingdom.

Reacting to the awards, Eng. Munir Khoja, director of marketing communications at Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, commented: “Our cooperation with Community Jameel and Toyota in developing the Road Traffic Safety Initiative is a strategic cooperation through which we can benefit from the expertise of Community Jameel and the international programs Toyota offers in this field.

“The MEPRA Awards act as a coronation of the success of the comprehensive initiative we launched with Community Jameel as part of our national and social responsibility. It was launched in order to educate and raise awareness on the best and safest ways to use roads, protect citizens from traffic accidents and reduce the percentage of casualties and injuries for the benefit of the community.”

Eng. Mohammad Hakami, executive director of international initiatives and business development at Community Jameel, added, “The fact that the Road Traffic Safety Initiative has been awarded by MEPRA indicates the importance of communicating with road users in the Kingdom and supporting government efforts to increase safety and security on the road.”

“The initiative pays particular attention to educating children and young adults as future drivers and road users by introducing traffic safety programs to school curricula and extracurricular activities.”

The “Road Traffic Safety Initiative” included a number of activities and events, the most prominent of which was participation in Gulf Traffic Week in Jeddah with a special booth dedicated to raising awareness of traffic safety under the slogan “Your Belt, Your Safety”. Another prominent event was the collaboration with the Saudi Pro League, which named one of its game weeks “Buckle Your Seat Belt” with the goal of raising awareness among the sports community and all segments of society regarding the necessity of fastening one’s seatbelt to minimize injuries and accidents on the Kingdom’s roads.

The MEPRA Awards celebrate achievements characterized by their innovation and creativity in public relations and communications on an annual basis. The highly regarded program honors the best companies and most prominent practitioners as examples for all stakeholders in the sector.

Community Jameel was officially established in 2003 to propagate positive social changes and encourage economic sustainability. It engages in programs and initiatives that address economic, educational, cultural and social development issues for individuals and communities in the Kingdom and the Middle East.

The renowned relationship between Toyota and Abdul Latif Jameel Motors was established more than half a century ago, and has grown to become one of the most remarkable automotive forces in the Kingdom. Abdul Latif Jameel Motors is also one of the largest independent certified Toyota distributors in the world. Under its principle of putting the “guest first” and its commitment to achieving excellence in all it has to offer, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors supports the widespread use of Toyota vehicles in the Saudi market through an extensive network of sales and maintenance centers strategically located around the Kingdom to provide peace of mind for their guests, wherever they may be. — SG