Signatory to

Campaign

Salim and Salimah, Safe and Soundالسلامة مع سالم و سالمة ™ is a road safety awareness campaign launched in the Sultanate of Oman in May 2005.

The campaign has been developed on a non-profit basis by Omani, social entrepreneurship company, Al Mustadaama (Sustainability) LLC under the Small Grants Program of the Middle East Partnership Initiative ('MEPI') with the main goal of:-

raising awareness among Omani parents of the danger of death or severe trauma injury posed to their babies and children carried unrestrained in vehicles;
encouraging drivers to protect children by buckling them in car safety seats appropriate to their height and weight.

This innovative campaign centres on the production of a child passenger safety film "Doesn't your child deserve a safe ride? - ألا يستحق طفلك ركوباً آمناً in Arabic and English filmed in Oman featuring Omani volunteer actors. The film's core messages are reinforced in associated public awareness activities such as distribution of free materials and sale of merchandise. The initiative takes place against an inexorable rise in the toll of death and injury on Oman’s roads and negligible use of child restraints.

The campaign was organised in various phases:-

research, partner selection and survey
development of film script and associated material
filming and editing Arabic version, dubbing English version
film presentation, workshop and associated media coverage
website development
evaluation.

Partners

A partnership was also created of selected private sector stakeholders and public sector beneficiaries in Oman. Each partner committed from the outset to deliver and/or fund a specific contribution in support of the campaign objectives.

	Petroleum Development Oman LLC		Oman Ministry of Education
	Occupational Training Institute		Mothercare Oman

Driver behaviour

The campaign is the first road safety initiative in Oman that aims to change driver behaviour in keeping with the finding of the 2004 joint WHO/World Bank World report on road traffic injury prevention that changing driver behaviour is the cheapest and yet often most effective way of reducing road deaths and injury rates.

It is based on several years' research into the causes, effects and cultural dimensions of road traffic crashes in Oman, as well as the study and evaluation of numerous road safety campaigns around the world. A driver survey and questionnaire commissioned for the campaign in February 2005 by project partner, Petroleum Development Oman LLC, and conducted in four regions, provides for the first time important scientific baseline data on driver attitudes and behaviour in Oman. The survey also revealed a number of cultural insights which were then used to script the film scenarios.

Creative and Merchandising

A colourful logo featuring an Omani boy and a girl safely restrained on the backseat of a car behind their parents was developed at the beginning of the campaign under the slogan Salim and Salimah, Safe and Sound السلامة مع سالم و سالمة ™ (both names meaning 'safe' in Arabic). The purpose of the logo was to:-

convey the core safety message that children should be secured by the driver in an appropriate restraint when travelling by car
demonstrate that the campaign is designed specifically for and culturally relevant to Oman
attract attention and arouse curiosity
foster sense of shared purpose among otherwise unconnected project partners

A number of merchandise items such as car-shades, t-shirts, key rings and shopping bags was then designed featuring the Salim and Salimah logo for purchase by corporate sponsors in Oman. The distribution of logo merchandise to sponsors' employees and business contacts has important educational benefits as well as enhancing the recognition factor for the project. Exposure of logo merchandise helps raise public awareness of the protective benefits of child safety seats. Sponsoring and distribution of merchandise also gives companies in Oman a real opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to a critical developmental and public health issue, namely road traffic crash death and injury.

Road safety materials

The campaign has benefited from materials from the following organisations:

With special thanks to Doaa Mansour, Sarah Jackson, Gassan and Rasha Al Jamali and Saleh Al Kindy

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