Doha - Qatar, 18 July 2012 The Ministry of Interior’s Traffic Department and Qatargas today announced details of their joint Ramadan Road safety campaign, which will start on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

An initiative by the Traffic Department and supported by Qatargas, the Ramadan Road Safety Campaign is being organised for the sixth consecutive year and is focused on raising national awareness of road accident prevention in a bid to significantly reduce the number of accidents and casualties on Qatar’s roads. The campaign’s activities this year include distribution of iftar packs and traffic awareness literature to motorists across the country, special traffic awareness programmes in shopping malls, engagement of famous Qatari stars and media persons to spread road safety messages, ‘Karangawu’ night festivities for children at major shopping malls, distribution of infant car seats at HMC, and screening of specially-made road safety TVCs (television commercial) at major Cinemas and on local TV channels.

Reiterating Qatargas’ commitment to supporting such significant community initiatives, Ghanim Al-Kuwari, Chief Operating Officer – Administration, Qatargas states: “We are proud to work with Traffic Department for the past five years. As a socially responsible company, we see this as a very good opportunity to support the efforts of the Traffic Department in spreading awareness on road safety especially among our younger generation.”

Commending Qatargas for its collaboration with Traffic Department in undertaking the Ramadan Road Safety campaign, Brigadier Mohammed Saad Al-Kharji, Director of Traffic Department, noted:

“We thank Qatargas for its whole-hearted support for this campaign, which comes at a very good time as people tend to listen to our messages quite often during the holy month of Ramadan. There is a social objective also for this campaign as we can reach out to a large number of people at mass community iftar feasts. One of the biggest risks for each of us and our families is traffic accidents. My advice to all drivers is to follow our traffic rules and regulations and be attentive while driving. Many mistakes made by people are often very basic, such as speeding, not wearing seat belts, using a mobile phone while driving and not buckling in children properly.”

As part of the campaign, iftar packs containing dates, water, and a safety booklet will be distributed at major intersections and round-abouts in various parts of Doha, Al Khor and Al Wakra by the Traffic patrols. Awareness programmes will be held at The Mall, Hyatt Plaza and Landmark during weekends. A special dinner will be arranged for famous Qatari personalities including those from such fields as Sports, Media and Culture, apart from members of the local media, to seek their support in spreading road safety messages across a wide spectrum of the society. During the Karangawu festival on the 14th night of Ramadan, special goodies will be distributed to children.

Qatargas will also broadcast a special television commercial titled “Was It Worth It” as part of this year’s Ramadan Road Safety campaign, featuring some real accidents. The TVCs will be aired at major local channels and cinemas across the country.

Qatargas’ support for the Ramadan Road Safety campaign is a continuation of the company’s efforts in this area. In March this year, Qatargas participated in the 28th GCC Traffic Week hosted by the Ministry of Interior at Doha Exhibition Centre, under the Slogan “Let us Work Together for Reduction of Traffic Accidents”.

Qatargas was established in 1984, and pioneered the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry in Qatar. Today, Qatargas, under the guidance of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy & Industry of the State of Qatar and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Qatargas, is the largest LNG producing company in the world, with an annual LNG production capacity of 42 million tonnes per annum (MTA) and is realising its vision to deliver LNG to its customers around the globe, from its world-class facilities in Qatar. Qatargas’ Ras Laffan Terminal Operations team operates all the oil products Tank Farms and related Marine Terminals at Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar. Ras Laffan is the largest LNG and oil products Export Terminal in the world.