Kuwait City - Kuwait Shell Limited makes road safety a key company priority in a drive to reduce the risk from road accidents. The company held a "Shell Road Safety Awareness" seminar for employees throughout the group's Kuwait operations as part of its local efforts to improve road safety. This reflects the international company's concerns about the rising rate of road accidents at a global level.
Alan McGuinness, Managing Director of Matrix ISC, a regular provider of defensive driving training for Shell in the Middle East, demonstrated how to perceive danger on the roads and encourage drivers to look closely at themselves in order to address personal risk-taking.
The presentation, which took the form of an interactive session on Wednesday 21 September, addressed staff from Shell lubricants distributor Al Hafez Trading, Shell Global Solutions and the Kuwait Shell Limited head office.
Mr. McGuinness said: "It is important to be aware that road accidents are avoidable and road death is preventable no matter what the environment."
"Drivers must analyse what they do on the roads, and work at reducing risk for themselves and their passengers. It is critical to maintain concentration," he added.
The issue of rising road deaths was highlighted by Shell in the Middle East as part of the United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO) Road Safety campaign in 2004. This warned that road traffic injuries have become a major global health and development problem which will worsen in the years ahead if no significant steps are taken to make improvements. According to WHO data, road traffic deaths have risen from approximately 999,000 in 1990 to just over 1.1 million in 2002. Kuwait, together with other GCC countries, shares some of the highest rises in death tolls in the world.
Dr. Ken Taylor, General Manager of Kuwait Shell, said: "By focusing on educating individuals about dangers on the road, Shell aims to create a wider change in the approach to driving. The aim is for Shell staff in Kuwait to adopt safety awareness at a corporate and individual level, and also bring their increased knowledge to the company's customers and partners."
Shell recently championed similar road safety campaigns in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, Kazakhstan and Russia.
"Road safety is just one aspect of Shell's global Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) commitment to all our employees and to the communities in which we operate," Dr. Taylor said.
-Ends-
About Shell
The Shell logo is one of the best recognised symbols in the world. With around 119,000 employees in145 countries, Shell aims to meet the energy and petrochemicals needs of society in ways that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Shell produces more oil and gas than any other private energy company and serves more than 25 million retail customers every day.
Shell's history in the Middle East dates back over the whole of the last century, during which time the company has formed many successful and long-standing partnerships with host governments and national oil companies. Shell's growth in the region has led to a workforce that is made up almost 90 per cent of local people.
For further information please contact:
Jasmin Masri
Consultant
Hill & Knowlton
Tel: 965 299 7807
E-mail: jmasri@hillandknowlton.com.bh
Buthaina Al Khubaizi
External Affairs Coordinator
Kuwait Shell Limited
Tel: 965 243 8640/1
Website: www.shell.com/kuwait
© Press Release 2005
