Workshop conducted a month after horrific bus crash which killed 13 workers

Dubai, UAE; June 15, 2014: A road safety awareness workshop was launched on June 10 at the RTA Bus Depot in Al Aweer and will target more than 500 heavy duty drivers from all across the UAE to receive first hand training on defensive driving from road safety experts who have specially flown in from the UK.

UAE-based Tristar Transport has commissioned the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) from the UK to launch the Tristar Road Safety Awareness Campaign workshop under the auspices of the Road & Transport Authority (RTA).

Alan Timms of RoSPA, a non-profit organization with around 100 years of experience in managing road safety worldwide, presented before a select group of heavy duty drivers and transport supervisors the causes of road accidents.  He also advised the participants to improve their decision making while on the road.

Heavy duty drivers are those driving buses, trucks, trailers and tankers. Last May 10, a horrific bus accident killed 13 workers and injured more than a dozen people. Accidents caused by heavy duty vehicles are sometimes catastrophic like the fuel truck which crashed into a flyover in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2012 which triggered an explosion and damaging an industrial building.

"Driver education is fundamental throughout the world. Every heavy duty driver should be made aware of the results of their actions owing to the size of their vehicles," Timms explained. RoSPA has used its vast experience to develop an extensive range of safety training courses and delivery methods.

Engineer Hussain Al Banna, Director of Traffic Department at the Traffic and Roads Agency said: "We in the RTA believe in the importance of strategic partnerships with the private and other government sectors in Dubai, and in particular to share the importance of awareness targeting sections of the community to raise their level of understanding regarding traffic in the Emirate of Dubai. During the past years we did not stop supporting outreach efforts undertaken by private companies in Dubai, including the latest by Tristar that deserve our thank you in disseminating the safety culture to the public especially drivers of heavy trucks. We believe that the existing partnership projects with large transport companies should continue and we will support all campaigns aimed at raising traffic awareness for drivers."

Tristar Group CEO Eugene Mayne added: "As a major player in Oil and Gas logistics, we are conscious of the potential consequences of an incident, involving road tankers transporting flammable products, and we remain committed to sharing our experiences and international best practices to make the roads safer for all users in the UAE and across the GCC."

The Dubai-based company, which recently received two awards from RoSPA for its best practices in managing of road risks and in occupational health and safety, commissioned the UK-based organization to create road safety awareness and to promote safe driving practices within the heavy vehicle driver community in the UAE.

About Tristar:
Tristar Transport LLC (Tristar) was established in 1998 in Dubai, UAE and is now a market leader in delivering integrated liquid logistics solutions to the petroleum and chemical industries. Today, the company has an extended footprint across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Pacific island of Guam and Central America with interest in surface transport, ship owning and operating, specialized warehousing for lubricants and chemicals, turnkey fuel operations, fuel farms, and into-plane aviation fuel services.

Tristar operates in more than 13 countries and employs over 1,800 people of various nationalities. Committed people, superior customer service and uncompromising values are core beliefs at Tristar where safety in operations is accorded the highest priority.

Tristar has certifications on ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 for its integrated management system. It was also the first transport company in the UAE to have been assessed by the CEFIC on the European Safety and Quality Assessment System (SQAS).

For further information:
Art Los Banos
Corporate Communications Manager
+9714-8997900
arthur@tristar-transport.com

© Press Release 2014