Dubai: As the UAE continues to grow as a global hub for innovation and business, road safety remains a vital component of its social sustainability agenda. In year four of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030, Intersec 2025 will feature influential global safety leaders discussing critical road safety issues as a major social sustainability challenge.
According to Emirates News Agency, taking place from 14th-16th January 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the Intersec 2025 Safety and Health Conference will explore how organisations in the UAE and across the region can adopt strategic approaches to manage road-related risks and meet the objectives of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations. Global road fatalities are rising, with 92% occurring in low- and middle-income countries, despite holding just 60% of the world’s veh
icles. This creates a significant economic and social burden, worsened by poor infrastructure and safety measures.
Speaking ahead of the road safety panel at Intersec 2025, Dr Karen McDonnell, Head of Global Relations at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), emphasized the importance of adopting a ‘safe systems’ approach. By incorporating strong policies, innovative technology, and public-private partnerships, organisations in the UAE and across the region can take ownership of road safety issues and make a measurable impact on reducing road-related fatalities and injuries.
Defying global trends, Dubai achieved a 93% reduction in road fatalities between 2007 and 2023, reaching a record low of 1.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023, thanks to enhanced traffic enforcement and infrastructure improvements. Fellow panellist Eugene Mayne, Founder and CEO of UAE-based Tristar Group, shared his company’s success in road safety, having achieved over 500 million kilometres driven without a single
fatality. This was attributed to ‘visible and felt leadership’ and the use of advanced technology, such as their patented fatigue detection system.
The Safety and Health Conference at Intersec 2025 will provide a comprehensive platform for safety professionals to discuss the latest trends and solutions in workplace safety, health, and road safety. The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) will curate the programme for the second day of the conference, focusing on empowering organisations to prioritise workplace safety. NEBOSH CEO, Andy Shenstone, expressed the importance of the event for the professional community, with more than eight thousand people from the UAE having taken a NEBOSH qualification in the past year.
Running alongside the conference, Intersec 2025 will showcase tailored solutions for Safety and Health in a dedicated exhibition zone featuring 180 exhibitors from 30 countries. The 26th edition of the exhibition will host 1,200 exhibitors from more than 60 natio
ns and expect over 42,000 trade visitors from around the world.
