Ben Sulayem Speaks out in Support of Road Safety Campaign Following Tragic Death of Footballer

Publication date: 25 September 2011

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the UAE Automobile & Touring Club and Vice-President of the FIA, has lent his support for a campaign to educate people in the UAE about the dangers of texting while driving, following the tragic loss of UAE and Baniyas footballer Theyab Awana last week.

Awana was involved in a collision with a lorry while driving with his brother from Al Ain to Abu Dhabi following a training session with the UAE national team. His brother is reported to be in intensive care. It is believed that Awana was texting on his Blackberry phone when the accident occurred.

Ben Sulayem said of the matter “It is a tragedy that this has happened to one of the UAE’s best athletes, and I send my deepest sympathy to his family. Too many of our young people are injured and killed on our roads, and all too often, it can be attributed to excess speed or not paying full attention to the road. This has to stop before more families suffer.”

The ATCUAE is a supporter of the FIA’s Action for Road Safety which aims to significantly reduce road deaths by the year 2020. Formula One driver Michael Schumacher has already endorsed the campaign saying that driving a Formula One car is safer than driving while texting.

Source: ATCUAE.AE