TD launches safe driving and health campaign for professional drivers (with photos)
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The "Safe Driving and Health Campaign" for professional drivers organised by the Transport Department (TD) will enhance the safety and health awareness of professional drivers through publicity and education, health check days as well as safety seminars to be held in the coming months.
Speaking at today's launching ceremony, the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, said the campaign would keep enhancing the safety and health awareness of professional drivers with a view to promoting road safety for the benefits of the general public as well as the drivers themselves.
"Apart from passenger and driving safety, professional drivers should also pay attention to the occupational health problems, resulting from long hours of driving on the roads with busy traffic in Hong Kong" Ms Cheng said.
The campaign launched today includes publicity and education programmes in which Ms Cheng, Commissioner for Transport, Mr Joseph Y T Lai and celebrities will make appeals in safe driving message and health tips to professional drivers. In addition, newspaper segments to share safe driving and health tips will be published by the Transport Department for eight consecutive weeks from today.
Passengers can also play a part in enhancing road safety. In-vehicle stickers will be displayed on public transport to show them channels for reflecting views. The TD will also distribute souvenirs to professional drivers at public transport interchanges to promote the campaign theme.
Ms Cheng said that professional drivers should always pay full attention while driving. Good health will help them to be alert to traffic situation.
To encourage professional drivers to be more aware of their health condition, the TD will organise five health check days next month (January). Measurements of health indicators including height, Body Mass Index, waist-hip ratio, body fat percentage, blood pressure, total cholesterol and plasma glucose will be taken for professional drivers.
The heath check days will be held in Tuen Mun, Sha Tin, Kowloon Tong, Wan Chai and Happy Valley. More than 2,000 professional drivers will benefit from the event. There will also be exhibitions of health messages at the venues.
Ms Cheng called on the transport trades to keep close liaison with the Transport Department and encourage more frontline professional drivers to participate in the event.
The department will organise 11 safety seminars which are tailor-made to suit the operational needs of frontline drivers from different transport trades. The police and other professional speakers will be invited to brief the professional drivers on the latest regulations on road safety, traffic offences and professional safety information in order to strengthen their awareness of good driving behaviour and habits.
Other officiating guests for today's launching ceremony included the Commissioner for Transport, Mr Joseph Y T Lai; Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mr Peter Yam Tat-wing; Chairman of Transport Advisory Committee, Ms Teresa Cheng and Chairman of Road Safety Campaign Committee, Road Safety Council, Mr Lawrence Yu.
Ends/Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:30
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