Local NGO Kunhadi launched an initiative called Nap & Go this week. It lets drivers who are sleepy to pull over into a purpose-built space and rest before getting back on the road. The Medco gas station in Dora is the first location for the Nap & Go initiative. At the gas station, there’s a dedicated parking space marked with the initiative’s name “Nap & Go.” It is free to park for drivers who need a short nap before finishing their trip. The goal is to reduce the number of accidents by making sure people who are sleepy aren’t driving. Just like drunk driving, driving while tired is dangerous as the response time and the risk of falling asleep on the wheel increases. Ahead of the Nap & Go stations, there will be clear road signs telling people that there’s a rest area ahead. This initiative is in collaboration with Picon and MEDCO. The Public Works and Transportation Ministry supported the pilot rest stop. 5 MEDCO
stations are now equipped in Dora, Monsef, Halat, Damour, and Jieh. 5 more will be ready by the end of the year.
As part of the ‘Save the Night’ project by Kunhadi, the organization is focusing on providing training for taxi drivers and bartenders at nightclubs and restaurants with the goal of making nightlife in Lebanon safer. The Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Nightclubs and Patisseries as well as the Tourism Ministry are collaborating on the project. Kunhadi is also offering free courses and conferences to train taxi drivers on the traffic law, defensive driving and first aid. Courses will be offered to staff at nightlife venues to help stop them from offering alcoholic drinks when they see someone drunk and to start giving them fruit cocktails in a manner that the customer doesn’t realize. This is something that the community in fresco had to implement when the cases became so frequent that even
finding a DUI lawyer near Fresno
was close to impossible, something had to be done. Hopefully lessons learned can be used here in the present. The NGO will also work with valet parking companies so that if they see someone drunk, they will advise them not to drive. The organization also hopes to change the social perception to encourage people to take taxis to clubs or parties instead of driving.
Images & Source: Kunhadi
