Global Youth Coalition Member Feature: Yasmine Al Moghrabi

1.  Where are you connected right now? Tell us about the work you're doing.
After I had finished high school, I enrolled at the Beirut Arab University (BAU) as a civil and environmental engineering student. Then, I simultaneously studied at two universities and graduated with two master's degrees, one in road safety management, where I was one of six students from the Arab world to receive a scholarship and the other in Highway Transportation and Traffic Engineering. Since this period of my life, I have been following the Sustainable Development Goals and taking proactive safety measures on every project related to this area in my work. I have been involved in implementing projects, mobilizing communities, and more. I'd like to add a point, volunteer work has always been a part of my daily life in some form or another. I am an active volunteer in a road safety NGO in Lebanon.

I am excited to attend and participate in many activities, research, or conference related to Road Safety, Traffic Engineering, and Intelligent Transportation Systems. I focus more and better on improving awareness of road safety especially for children with special needs and people with disabilities. In addition, I did an awareness campaign called "Seat Belt ON".

I was responsible for everything related to this campaign from preparing ideas, producing videos, and publishing the campaign in which people from different parts of the world participated in such as Lebanon, the USA, Canada, Belarus, Sweden, France, Italy, Egypt, Qatar, and UAE. Moreover, I have also worked as a project manager in an ambulance agency and know how the response time after any road crashes is critical.

2. How did you first get involved in road safety and how long have you been working in the road safety and sustainable mobility field?
In 2017, I won first place in a local competition in Lebanon and then traveled to California as a prize to attend the American Concrete Institute conference. I was surprised by the comfort, safety, and organization I felt as a pedestrian when I crossed the road. In 2018, I participated in an international competition in Utah and visited another state in the United States. After seeing how public transportation has improved my trip, I wished that in Lebanon we would focus on transportation because “Transportation is the center of the world! It is the glue in our daily lives.

When things are going well, we don't see it. When things go wrong, they color our day negatively, they make us feel angry and vulnerable, and they limit our capabilities.” As a civil engineer, I majored more in road safety management and transportation engineering. I have decided to help my community and will I am glad to see my friend and family tell me “Demoiselle Road Safety” because I am a role model for them and I influenced them to comply with the rules. I am confident that we can have a brighter present and future if we enhance road safety in the world.

3. Can you tell us a little bit about the road safety and sustainable mobility situation in your area? 

My experience in the humanitarian and ambulance field opens my eyes to many issues related to road safety and response time and I try to improve on these critical things. It has been a huge intervention from a great side to improve road safety but there is no real strength to take this issue as something important for life. Road users appear to be violating many conditions and affecting EMS response time. Many drivers break laws and do false things during the day and at night. Traffic congestion makes drivers more anxious and less impatient which in turn leads to violating traffic rules more often. The random and dynamic nature of road user behavior affects performance such as capacity, queue length, and delay. I've read many types of research and done surveys and found how in many locations the design of roads does not match the needs of road users, especially vulnerable road users.

 

4. Why do you think it's important to include young people in local and global road safety efforts? 
We must involve young people on the board from beginning to end of the process if we are to develop the future we envision. The power of young people must be revived by sharing their creative and modern ideas and making them work for a brighter present and a more sustainable future. In order to achieve significant long-term progress, young people must be at the center of all changes that affect them directly or indirectly.

5. Why did you join the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety? 
My desire to be part of a group of young change-makers with the same passion for road safety and its improvement around the world makes me encouraged to participate in this coalition. Being a member of this coalition means working together for a brighter present and a more sustainable future.

6.  What are your comments on the Coalition? Its activities? Its opportunities?
This Coalition gives you a lot of great possibilities to improve your talents and ambition as you work to create safer and more sustainable roads. It understands that young people need the right skills, resources, and platforms in order to live life and make the changes they desire.

7. Any messages for people who have not yet joined the coalition? 
Hey, what are you waiting for to join us to become a part of something that works for your future!! You must start to influence both locally and globally, and the Coalition is the ideal destination.