On Monday morning, 21st April 2008, a press conference was held in SCFA headquartes, about the launching of the events of the First Gulf Youth Symposium on Road Accidents Prevention which was organized by the Ministry of the Interior in calloabration with SCFA, during the period 27-29 April

At the outset of the press conference, HE Mr Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Khalifa, SCFA Secretary-General delivered an address in whivh he reviewed SCFA's role in the awareness campaign on road accidents risks, as he pointed out that SCFA had already, by instructions of HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, HH the Emir's Consort, SCFA initiated the launching of the national campaign fo road accidents prevention in callaboration with Traffic Department

HE added that in 2005, by instrucions of HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, SCFA President, the second phase of the national campaign was launched under the supervision of the Department of Traffic and Patrols in the Ministry of the Interior in its capacity as an instrumental branch in solidifying the efforts to address the problem and with the membership of SCFA

HE pointed out, moreover, that in 2006 SCFA Secretariat prepared a comprehensive study demonstrating the results of road accidents on the Qatari commnunity on the levels of human and material losses, besides the evaluation of traffic accidents and how to address them and offer strategic options to develop
awere reviewed atop ngether with the evaluation of transportation accidents in the State and the means to address them and to offer the strategic options to improve the performance of the bodies concerened with safety

In 2007, SCFA Secretariat, in its capacity as a member in the National Campaign for Road Accidents Prevention offered a proposal to prepare a youth symposium for Gulf Cooperative Council states which deals with road safety issues

HE Secretary-General also pointed out that in the year 2007-8, and sensing the significance of the familty in promoting traffic safety culture and to curb irresponsible conduct of children and youth and instruct them in the right direction and save the them from road accidents which claim lives of many a youth, the collaboration between the Ministry of the Interior and SCFA materialized to organize this Symposium out of the joint concern and conspicuous integration in issues of traffic safety which is a common topic

On his part, Colonel Mohammed Saad Al-Khazrajji, Traffic Department Managing Director, Vice-Chair of Committee Supervizing the Symposium in GCC, indicated in an address he delivered that SCFA has had a pioneer role in supporting Department of Traffic, whether in this campaign or other campaigns

Colonel Al-Khazrajji added that the notion of the Symposium had been proroposed by Their Excellencies the Ministers of the Interior in the GCC in their meeting in Abu Dhabi in 2006 when the notion of organizing such a symposium was proposed to examine and research the methods of road accidents prevention, and the proposal was endoresed in the Riyadh meeting and the Ministry of the Interior in Qatar was assigned to have this Symposium held in collaboration with SCFA

Colonel Al-Khazrajji added that the findings of the National Campaign for Road Accidents Prevention had already started yielding its fruit as demonstartted by the decrease of the number of mortalities, as well as in serious accidents. This was due to the contribution of the different institurtions and sectors in the State, be they governmental or private

Colonel Al-Khazrajji expressed his wishes that the Campaign continued its success to limit the number of road accidents victims, indicationg that most victims were young persons

At the close of the meeting, Ms Jawaher Al-Fain, Symposium Coordinator-General, explained that the Symposium aimed at enhancing traffic culture to alleviate the size of catastrophes caused by accidents and the huge losses coming out of them on the human and material levels. The Sumposium included showing pictures of participants and their experience in the area of traffic safety, and how Gulf youth in their countries made use of these experiences. The Symposium, furthermore, aimed at analyzing the problem of traffic felonies, their causes and the solutions proposed to encounter them

She added that the Symposium included a number of divergent and convergent points and frames of references between the vision of youth and traffic bodies about the methods of prevention faced by youth as well as the role of youth in the national projects and campaigns that aimed at prevention against road accidents

The Symposium, futhermore, tackled the family role and the civil socierty role in solidifying traffic safety concepts, in addition to the relationship of traffic accidents and youth driving their vehicles, and finally it touched upon the the psychological attributes of driving persons who cause accidents and commit felonies and the health condition of the driver

She finally pointed out that the targeted group in this Symposium was youth of both genders of the age group 19-24 in the GCC states, besides Yemen and Iraq