Careem Teams up with RoadSafetyUAE for Seatbelt Campaign

In the wake of the success of the #buckleup campaign it conducted last year with RoadSafetyUAE, Careem is conducting a similar campaign this year. In 2016, the campaign had resulted in over 5,000 buckle-up pledges from Careem passengers.

Commenting on the campaign, Euan Air, Director of Safety and Security at Careem said that two-third of motorists killed in road traffic accidents in Abu Dhabi did not wear seat belts, highlighting the importance of buckling up. This is why Careem felt it was vital to kick-off the 2017 edition of the successful #buckleup campaign.
Thomas Edelmann, Managing Director of RoadSafetyUAE said that with the introduction of the new holistic seat belt law from 1 July, motorists no longer have an excuse. It is now mandatory for everyone in a vehicle to wear a seat belt, at all times! Careem is in a unique position to communicate the message ‘buckle-up!’, by advising Careem Captains to engage with customers and ensuring that their passengers buckle up and follow the law.”

Euan Air added, “We have a duty to ensure our passengers are as safe as they can be when they travel with us. So not only do we have a responsibility to make sure cars are fit for the road with fully functioning belts but also to educate our customers to do the right thing.”

He said that seatbelt maintenance is part of the mandatory car interior check for Careem’s Captains. In the event that the seatbelts are defective in any way, they are fixed on the spot. However, it is up to the individual customers to buckle up and this is where Careem Captains can act as agents of change and as influencers. They can help to spread awareness by imparting their knowledge of the dangers of not wearing a belt and reminding customers that it is now compulsory for everyone to wear seatbelts, according to UAE law.
Careem introduced seat-belt training within their onboarding process after the implementation of the new traffic rules from July 1. The high point of the training is the demonstration of a ‘seat-belt convincer’, where buckled up Careem Captains hit an obstacle with about 8km/h on a special sledge device, so that they understand the true impact of a crash and the level of protection that wearing seatbelts can provide.

Edelmann concluded: “As Careem continues to bring more and more Captains onto their platform, the message needs to continually be re-enforced and vocalised. From RoadSafetyUAE research we know that only 11% of back-seat passengers ‘always’ buckle up. In addition to the new law, and the exorbitantly high number of fatalities due to non-use of seat belts, all these facts make it vital to run the 2017 edition of this successful awareness and education campaign.”