Desert Heat to perform road safety song

BMW Group Middle East has teamed up with Emirati hip-hop duo Desert Heat to raise awareness of the importance of buckling up amongst university students in the UAE.

The music collaboration with brothers Salim ‘Illmiyah’ Dahman and Abdullah ‘Arableak’ Dahman forms part of phase two of BMW Group Middle East’s ‘Stay Alert. Stay Alive.’ road safety campaign, launched last month in cooperation with the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and the Road and Transport Authority of Dubai (RTA).

This year’s initiative will include universities and will involve a roadshow moving through the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) campuses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Sharjah, to bring home the consequences of not practising safe driving to university students.  The duo feels so strongly about the issue that they have written a song specifically for the campaign, which they will perform throughout the roadshow.

The Dahman brothers founded Desert Heat in 2002 with the aim of becoming the first truly authentic voice of Emirati youth. They rap in a mixture of English and Arabic, and given their popularity and influence; BMW Group was delighted when the brothers agreed to support the road safety campaign in a bid to educate their young fans on the importance of safe driving.

Salim Dahman said: “From the inception of Desert Heat, our aim has been to have a great connection to the youth of the Middle East. The message of road safety is hugely important in this region and if we are to reduce the number of young drivers being injured or killed on our roads every year, then we need to speak to them through a medium they can relate to.

“We’ve therefore written a song focussing specifically on the message of road safety and this is what we’ll play to university students during the BMW ‘Stay Alert. Stay Alive.’ road-shows in October and November. Just one line from the song is ‘Get n the right frame of mind, so you can breeze through life Strap it on real tight if you appreciate life.’  We feel this is the message that needs to be put across to young drivers because if you appreciate life you will take the necessary precautions to protect it.”

The survey results revealed by BMW Group Middle East during the launch of the campaign highlighted that a staggering 92 per cent of UAE university students know someone who has been involved in a traffic accident, with 57 per cent of young drivers failing to insist that their passengers buckle up when travelling with them.

Commenting on these findings, Abdullah Dahman said: “We were aware that a large number of accidents happen on the region’s roads, but were surprised to find out that 74 per cent of these road traffic fatalities are caused by easily-avoidable actions such as speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and reckless driving. This clearly tells us that campaigns like ‘Stay Alert. Stay Alive.’ are extremely important and as such, we are fully supporting BMW Group Middle East in their efforts to help reduce road deaths.”

This year’s BMW Group Middle East road safety campaign is again supported by the Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and the Road and Transport Authority of Dubai (RTA). The initiative will also be joined by the Higher Colleges of Technology Universities (HCT), the largest higher educational institution in the UAE, delivering a wide range of quality programs to over 20,000 Emirati students.

The ‘Stay Alert. Stay Alive.’ road safety awareness days will be held at various HCT colleges throughout October and November in partnership with BMW Group importers Abu Dhabi Motors, AGMC, HAAD and the RTA. Further child backless booster seats will also be distributed to the general public visiting BMW Group showrooms to continue the message of road safety to parents and their children.
 

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