Let’s All Take the Pledge

SheikhHamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan took initiative by signing the pledge not to text while driving. It is a significant move on his side, setting him as an example to be followed by the different groups in society. His move was triggered by his concern over the rising number of traffic accidents claiming lives, most of which are lives young people lost by the country and missed by their parents  due to distracted driving and in particular due to using cellphones while driving.

Sheikh Hamdan’sinitiative no doubt sprang from his care and fear for UAE’s young people and his desire to raise awareness and educate about proper behavior on the road. It is no doubt a desire to set a role model and reserve the true natural resources of UAE which are the youth. The loss is for everyone and the damage is incurred by everyone. For all these reasons, Hamdan bin Mubarak took a private initiative to sign “I Pledge”. For the same reasons, Emarat Al Youm in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior launched this public campaign at the beginning of this week.

I Pledge is a public campaign based on a very simple idea; it addresses a person based on theirbelief to abandon a bad habit, hence, such person is self-committed, not driven by seeking a reward or fearing a fine; all s/he has to do is to sign a simple pledge containing only one sentence that reads “Beginning right now, I will not text while I am driving”. That’s it! However, the pledger has to be honest with themselves and be bound by the pledge that they voluntarily took. Such person has to be driven by their own awareness and get rid of that habit however long they lived.

As the campaign is public, as you might have noticed, the name Hamdan bin Mubarak was not preceded by a title or followed by a position during signature; it is a private initiative that targets any motorist on the streets of UAE, which is why it was met by great appreciationfrom the different social groups. Many of the public and private institutions, civil society organizations, sport clubs, and universities have also expressed their willingness to join the campaign and collect signatures. This is exactly the goal of the campaign. This is what Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s wishes us to do, this great man who always calls for implementing useful ideas and supports each step that aims at saving lives on the roads. He is truly concerned over the rising number of accidents resulting from using cellphones while driving; hence he is the biggest supporter of I Pledge campaign.

I Pledge campaign is the outcome of a collaboration between a governmental entity, the Ministry of Interior, a private one,Etisalat and a purposeful media institution, Emarat Al Youm. Therefore, the campaign is a concrete product of the joint efforts of such entities and the mutual impact of directing efforts towards a common goal. Let’s all make it our goal to join the campaign and sign the pledge; not to talk on the cellphone or text while driving. Let’s pledge to use the cellphone only according to the proper legal regulations that ensure our safety and the safety of others.