CAIRO - The Ministry of Family and Population Affairs has embarked on a campaign to combat the spread of drugs among the nation's drivers, who must deal with the challenge of preserving road safety rules. Minister Mushira Khattab said that her Ministry and the Egyptian Society for Assisting Road Accidents' Victims would be in charge of the campaign, whose aim is to warn drivers against the harmful effects of drugs and help drug addicts among them. "Drivers who use drugs need help, treatment, rehabilitation and monitoring," she said. The first phase of the campaign targets 500 motorists in the coastal city of Alexandria after which it will include other governorates as well, Minister Khattab said, adding that the Ministry had set up a 16023 hotline to warn the nation's youth and drivers against drugs and answer their questions about abuse and the danger of addiction. "In the meantime, I call on all experts, preachers, professors, media men and parents to help make drivers aware about the danger of drugs," she said. The Minister said that the national campaign reflected anxiety about the vulnerability of Egypt's large segment of drivers and young people, who may be lured into driving while intoxicated. The campaign, she said, aims to make this segment of the population aware of the danger of drugs and exert a serious effort to limit drug abuse. Meanwhile, the Shura Council (the Upper House of the Egyptian Parliament) Thrusday warned against the negative effects of road accidents on the nation's tourism and called for realistic plan to reduce the series of road accidents that ��" to some extent ��" have marred this year's season. The Council called on the authorities concerned to uproot the the causes of road accidents, including over-speeding and defective road planning. It also calls for setting up long- and short-term plans that restore safety to the nation's motorways.
