Intersec 2025 To Address Road Safety As A Critical Sustainability Challenge In The UAE

The UAE is advancing as a global centre for innovation and business. Road safety remains crucial to its social sustainability goals. In the fourth year of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030, Intersec 2025 will host global safety leaders to address road safety challenges. This event aims to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.

Intersec 2025 will occur from 14th-16th January at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The Safety & Health Conference will focus on how UAE organisations can strategically manage road-related risks. This aligns with the objectives set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations in their Global Plan for Road Safety.

Despite having only 60% of the world's vehicles, low- and middle-income countries account for 92% of global road fatalities. This situation imposes a heavy economic and social burden, exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure and safety measures.

Dr Karen McDonnell from RoSPA highlighted this issue before Intersec 2025's road safety panel. She stated, "This data highlights a critical social sustainability issue. By adopting a ‘safe systems’ approach that incorporates strong policies, innovative technology, and public-private partnerships, organisations in the UAE and across the region can take ownership of road safety issues, and we can make a measurable impact on reducing road-related fatalities and injuries."

Dubai has defied global trends by achieving a 93% reduction in road fatalities between 2007 and 2023. Enhanced traffic enforcement and improved infrastructure have led to a record low of 1.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023.

Eugene Mayne, CEO of Tristar Group, shared his company's success in road safety at Intersec 2025. He said, "Tristar has achieved a remarkable record of over 500 million kilometres driven without a single fatality across its fleet. Our success can be attributed to our ‘visible and felt leadership’ and the use of cutting-edge technology, such as our patented fatigue detection system, which alerts drivers and control room operators to potential risks in real-time."

Educational Initiatives and Conference Highlights

Tristar actively participates in Dubai’s RTA "Golden Rules for Generational Safety" campaign. This initiative educates schoolchildren about traffic rules to enhance road safety awareness from an early age.

The Safety & Health Conference at Intersec 2025 will serve as a platform for global safety professionals to discuss workplace safety trends. NEBOSH will curate content on January 15th, focusing on empowering organisations to prioritise workplace safety.

Andy Shenstone, CEO of NEBOSH, commented on their involvement: "NEBOSH is delighted to curate content for Intersec for the third consecutive year. More than eight thousand people from the UAE took a NEBOSH qualification in the past 12 months, so this event is a great opportunity for us to give back to the professional community here. We have assembled some of health and safety's leading voices to share their expertise with Intersec delegates, helping them to improve practice in their own organisations."

Exhibition Features at Intersec 2025

The exhibition at Intersec 2025 will feature tailored solutions for Safety & Health with participation from MSA Safety, Woodland, Palletco from the UAE among others. It will also cover Commercial & Perimeter Security, Fire & Rescue, Cyber Security, Homeland Security & Policing under one roof.

This edition marks its 26th year with over 1,200 exhibitors from more than 60 countries expected. Themed 'Mapping the future in safety, security & fire protection,' it anticipates attracting over 42,000 trade visitors globally.

With inputs from WAM