In line with the efforts of the UAE government, global logistics provider UPS reports that it has exceeded its goal of educating new drivers on safe driving techniques by 44% one year after its initial launch in the UAE.
This initiative is part of the UPS Road Code safe driving program, set up in collaboration with Emirates Foundation, an independent national organisation set up by the Abu Dhabi Government, to facilitate public-private funded initiatives for the empowerment of youth across the UAE.
UPS leads the industry in safety practices. We are proud to have exceeded last years goal to share our safe driving learning with the 576 young drivers in the UAE who are now better-informed and safer drivers, said Benoit Biard, human resources director of human resources for UPS in the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa (ISMEA). And our collaboration with Emirates Foundation, combined with UPSs in-kind commitment of $100,000, enables us to contribute to safer roads in the UAE.
The UPS Foundation is committing $100,000 to the Emirates Foundation, as part of its efforts to facilitate public-private funded initiatives in order to improve the welfare of youth across the country. The UAE has amended federal traffic laws to further protect the lives of road users and reduce traffic casualties from about six per 100,000 people to three per 100,000 as per Vision 2021. Aligned with this effort, and as part of the program, UPS and Emirates Foundation volunteers actively educate new drivers on safe driving techniques. Having committed to training 400 students in 2017, UPS has surpassed that target, taking the total number of verified Road Code graduates to 576.
Maytha Al Habsi, CEO of Emirates Foundation praised the passion of youth volunteers who are playing a primary role in the UPS road safety campaign saying: The UPS Road Code safe driving program is an extremely important initiative. Through our continued partnership with UPS, we remain committed to employ our expertise and youth network to identify those between the ages of 17-25, and, train them on the right skills and knowledge to improve driving habits as well as educate them about their safety on the road and that of others.
Al Habsi further elaborated: We are truly delighted to be working for the second year with UPS. This collaboration is aligned with our SANID emergency volunteer response program as well as our child safety campaign that aims to promote the well-being and safety of youth in the UAE. This is done by continuously challenging the notion of unavoidable risks making room for pro-active preventative approaches to reducing both accidents and injuries amongst young people in our country.
The trainers use road code simulators to drive safety awareness among teens by enabling each student to have a hands-on-the-wheel virtual experience to identify road hazards. The simulators also help students understand the consequences of distracted driving, and, how phones, for instance, need to be managed.
UPS Road Code is inspired from safety training that UPSs drivers receive to help them create the most accident-free environment possible. To date, 10,504 UPS drivers are part of the elite Circle of Honor (COH) program, comprised of drivers who have gone 25 years or more without an avoidable accident. Globally, these Circle of Honor drivers have logged 14 billion miles and achieved more than 257,221 years of safe driving throughout their careers. Thats enough miles to circle the earth at the equator 562,000 times, or make 200 round-trips to Mars.
UPS Road Code training is offered at 112 sites in the United States, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico and UAE. To date, more than 48,000 teenagers have participated in the safe driving program. The UPS Foundations top goal is to leverage its philanthropy, the resources of UPS and expertise of its employees to create public-private partnerships that are dedicated to advance the causes of local communities.