Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 5420 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
QA
YM YI YE

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 10CAIRO168, EGYPT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON BANNING TEXT MESSAGES WHILE

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #10CAIRO168.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
10CAIRO168 2010-01-28 15:03 2011-02-16 21:09 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Cairo
VZCZCXYZ0015
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #0168 0281514
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281512Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0077
INFO RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO
UNCLAS CAIRO 000168 
 
SIPDIS 
OES FOR N. CARTER-FOSTER 
DEPT FOR NEA/ELA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON SOCI PGOV EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON BANNING TEXT MESSAGES WHILE 
DRIVING 
 
REF: STATE 6703 
 
1.(U) Emboffs delivered ref demarche to Egyptian government officials on January 27 and 28. ESTHoff spoke to Ministry of Health Senior Advisor for International Cooperation Mokhtar Warida regarding the banning of text messages while driving. Warida noted that Egypt strongly supports the President's executive order and government officials attended the Moscow ministerial conference in November 2009. He also stated the Egyptian parliament passed legislation last year forbidding the use of mobile phones in any vehicle unless they are used in conjunction with a hand-free device. Warida acknowledged that the government has experienced difficulty in enforcing the legislation but noted police officers have the authority to fine and confiscate licenses when they encounter drivers violating the law.

2.(U) Econoff met with Dr. Hisham Fouad, Senior Advisor to Egypt's General Authority for Road Safety and Land Transport (GARBLT), within the Ministry of Transportation on January 28. Econoff previously discussed the President's Executive Order on distracted driving, and USG international steps on distracted driving with Dr. Fouad and with corporate members of a private sector Cairo road safety group in which Embassy has been active over the last year. Fouad, speaking for the GOE and private sector representatives present at the meeting, agreed that GOE had already recognized and taken legislative action on distracted driving but that, as in most issues related to traffic safety in Egypt, there are serious law enforcement shortcomings.

3.(U) Fouad said that, although GARBLT traffic safety statistics focus strongly on driver behavior (deemed by GARBLT to be responsible for more than 80 percent of Egypt's more than 12,000 annual traffic fatalities), such statistics do not distinguish between distracted driving or cell phone usage and other forms of driver behavior, such as excessive speed or erratic turns. Fouad promised to check whether there is any quantifiable measure by which Egyptian authorities track distracted driving as a distinct behavior, but he doubted this was the case. SCOBEY