A new Jordanian road safety campaign, called Anta Morakab (Arabic for you are being watched), will be launched next week with the aim of increasing public awareness of road safety issues.

Jordan has launched several campaigns dealing with this same issue of road safety before, but this one will be different in it’s approach, as it is planned to follow drivers and nominate ones who adhere to road regulations for an award. And thus encourage drivers to stick to street rules rather than scare them by issuing them tickets.

“The campaign is based on a new approach to reward good drivers, according to George Haddad, president of the Central Trade and Auto Company, Al Markazia, which is sponsoring the initiative.

“Traffic accidents rank third on the list of causes of death in the Kingdom; hence it is our duty to help raise traffic awareness in order to impact the behaviour of individuals towards more responsibility on the roads,” he said.

According to official figures, the number of traffic accidents in 2008 stood at 101,000, compared to 111,000 in 2007.

Fatalities from traffic accidents dropped by 25 per cent in 2008 to 752, compared with 992 in 2007. Injuries also went down by 22 per cent last year compared to 2007, when their number stood at 11,329.” The Jordan Times

We are talking about a number of less than 6 million citizens living in Jordan, which makes it a big ratio of accidents, as I have already discussed in a previous article. So the question here is: Will this approach work for drivers who have made speeding and street-rules-breaking as part of their daily driving trips?

I hope, but I can’t help but wonder!!!