"There's No Network Underground" Kunhadi and Alfa's Third Distracted Driving Campaign
Under the auspices of His Excellency the Minister of Telecommunications, Boutros Harb, Alfa, managed by Orascom Telecom, partnered with Kunhadi for the third time to launch a campaign entitled "There's No Network Underground" to raise awareness on road safety and the risks of texting while driving.
The campaign was launched during a press conference held at the Press Club in Furn el Chebbak, in the presence of the representative of ISF general director major general, Ibrahim Basbous, the head of the Division of Public Relations Lieutenant, Colonel Joseph Moussallem. This is in addition to the representative of army commander, general Jean Kahwaji, Brigadier general, George Rizk, Alfa CEO and chairman Marwan Hayek, Kunhadi president Fadi Gebran, and a number of representatives from civil society and the media.
The press conference began with the Lebanese national anthem, followed by a minute of silence for the victims of traffic crashes in Lebanon.
In his speech, Kunhadi president thanked Minister of Telecommunications, Boutros Harb for his patronage and Alfa for being the first and only sponsor that contributes to Kunhadi's campaigns aiming to raise the Lebanese people's awareness about the risks of cellphone use when driving. He also thanked the Press Club for hosting this conference and M&C Saatchi.
Gebran then compared the number of traffic accidents according to ISF statistics for the June 22, 2015 - June 25, 2015 with the same period in 2014. This showed "a drop in the number of collisions (by 72%) and casualties (by 40%), while those percentages dropped to 42% and 24% respectively between 2014 and 2015". He pointed out: "This indicates that the implementation of the traffic law and the citizens' abidance by it led to the decrease in the number of road traffic victims," noting that the item of the law that was mostly applied then was for speeding.
Gebrane listed 6 easy practices to avoid serious injury in a car crash:
- Respecting the speed limits
- Never mixing drinking and driving
- Wearing and buckling a helmet (motorcyclists, cyclists and ATV drivers)
- Buckling-up the seatbelt
- Never driving when tired/fatigued
- Never using the mobile while driving
Kunhadi President reminded the audience that road traffic crashes cost Lebanon over 2.5 Million US Dollars yearly. I.e. 5% of Lebanon’s GDP is wasted on road traffic crashes that can be avoided.
He cited clause 6 of Article 17 from the New Lebanese Traffic Law that prohibits drivers from using any telecommunication device while driving.
Mr. Gebrane re-explained the danger of using the mobile while driving in a simple example: if the driver looked at his phone for one second while driving at the speed of 50 km/hr, that means the driver traveled 14 meters without looking at the road.
M&C Saatchi representative and the campaign copywriter, Ms. Maral Ghanma, explained the concept behind the campaign that was based on people’s growing addiction to mobile phones and the need to be constantly connected.
Alfa CEO and chairman, Marwan Hayek began his speech in jest: "Some people wonder how we can support campaigns that may affect our profitability." He added: "This campaign falls within our support for all Kunhadi initiatives as part of our ongoing partnership together as part of Alfa 4-Life CSR program."
He pointed out that this campaign is addressed to all drivers, especially those using phones and social media. While it is true that social media builds bridges between the different social segments, these bridges may crumble at any moment, claiming lives and leading to the destruction of families. Thus, we should be careful and avoid the use of these devices while driving because it can affect our lives and the lives of the people we love.
