Doha 20 February 2012: Road safety issues in Qatar are never far from the headlines. Mobile phone use, tailgating and failure to wear a seat belt are just some of the issues causing concern among the country’s road safety campaigners.
Voucher Clubs, an up-and-coming discount voucher website, launched in December 2011 and immediately set about initiating a campaign to promote the use of seat belts and car seats for children.
Voucher Clubs believes greater efforts need to be made to improve education and raise awareness of this importance issue. The simple fact is that wearing a seat belt significantly reduces the risk of injury or death in the event of a crash. Research by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of dying as a result of a car accident by 45%.
Despite the evidence supporting the use of seat belts, residents of Qatar will be all too familiar with the worrying sight of young children climbing around inside cars, not wearing seat belts or restraints. Qatar currently has no law to enforce the use of seat belts in the rear seats of cars. In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report stating that just 50% of people in Qatar wore a seat belt when travelling in a vehicle.
Voucher Clubs has designed and printed car stickers to raise awareness of this issue. Amanda Parker-Woods, founder of Voucher Clubs, commented: “With two young children myself, I am constantly shocked by the number of children that do not wear a seat belt or travel in a car seat. Seeing children – on an everyday basis – jumping around inside cars, or perched on a parent’s lap, is hugely concerning. The response to the stickers has been fantastic, with many people – especially parents - very keen to support the campaign.”
If you support Voucher Clubs in realizing the need to highlight this issue, and would like to place a sticker on your car, then contact Amanda to get a sticker delivered to you. Email Voucher Clubs at
[email protected] or telephone 3396 2631.
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