Irish mum, Yemeni salesman pocket Dh1,000 for safe driving

An Irish mother and a Yemeni salesman were among ten winners who each pocketed a cash prize for safe driving on Tuesday.

After driving to a Dubai supermarket to pick up her dry cleaning, Christine Mountain, a part-time teaching assistant and mother of three, was surprised to be confronted by a policeman.

“The policeman asked me for my driver’s licence,” said the Irish expat, describing the moment when she had just parked her car. “I thought I was going to get arrested. But he laughed.”

She was then introduced to organisers of the Mobil 1 GoldStar Contest, who handed her the prize money in the form of a crisp Dh1,000 note.The car oil firm is running a daily road safety awareness campaign in cooperation with local authorities in Dubai and Sharjah

In the two decades she’s lived in Dubai, Mountain said she drives carefully and has kept a mostly clean record — apart from just a few incidents.

“I’ve been in a couple of accidents, but I think they were all [judged to be] other people’s fault,” she added.

“It’s a fantastic thing that they are trying to do. I hope it leads to a cut down in accidents.”

She plans to spend the Dh1,000 on an Italian dinner with her husband.

A Yemeni salesman who was also rewarded for his safe driving also described his surprise.

Shortly before he parked near a supermarket to go to the cash machine, Salem Bin Selm noticed an official from the Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) stood nearby.

“I thought maybe there was construction [nearby],” Selm said.

Just as he parked, “I saw the policeman come to me.”

“He said, ‘please show me your car registration card and driving licence.’ He then explained to me [the road safety campaign] and said congratulations. I said thank you very much.”

The Yemeni salesman, who also works as his company’s Public Relations Officer, has driven in Dubai for two decades.

He told Gulf News that he always makes sure to drive safely — and always uses the indicators when making a turn on the roads.

The Yemeni expat already spent part of his prize money by throwing a small party in the office. But the party’s not over yet. “Some money I kept for me, my wife and kids. We’ll throw another small party.”

The three-day Mobil 1 GoldStar Contest will move to Sharjah on Wednesday.

The campaign aims to reinforce people’s belief in good road behaviour by rewarding different categories of road users, including drivers, pedestrians and cyclists

source : gulfnews