The FIA Foundation has won a coveted Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for its seat belt toolkit.
The award was presented to FIA Foundation Chairman Rosario Alessi by HRH Prince Michael of Kent at a dinner for the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, hosted by the FIA Foundation at the Royal Automobile Club in London. The UK’s Minister of State for Transport, Dr Stephen Ladyman MP, was also present at the dinner.
The seat belt toolkit was produced by the FIA Foundation and written and researched by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), which was also cited in the award. The principles of the toolkit, which presents best practice advice on seat belt campaigning, legislation, enforcement and technical standards, were used to great effect in the Costa Rica ‘Por Amor Use El Cinturon’ campaign and the toolkit is being used widely around the world, most recently in Sakhalin, Russia, by the Global Road Safety Partnership.
Presenting the award, Prince Michael of Kent said:
“All of us would agree that to reduce casualties we need effective action at many levels: from government, from industry, from NGOs and at local level. Action is required nationally, especially in the developing world, and internationally through collaboration and knowledge sharing.
This United Nations Road Safety Collaboration Meeting is a vital step in the process and I would like to thank the World Health Organisation for its leadership in making this happen.
Since I first started my own Road Safety Award Scheme in 1987 I have been impressed by the unstinting work of so many individuals often struggling with limited resources to bring the world’s attention to the toll of death and injury on our roads. And I am very happy to pay tribute once again to the World Health Organisation, whose report last year won my premier award.
I also know how much the FIA Foundation has done to raise the level of understanding of safety issues. Its influence since it was set up only four years ago has been quite remarkable.
It is therefore entirely appropriate that its work is now being formally recognised. The advice manual and the campaign materials have, as we have just heard, already been highly successful in Costa Rica. The Seatbelt Toolkit was produced in association with the Transport Research Laboratory and I am delighted that representatives of the Foundation and TRL are here to receive my award and I offer my warmest congratulations to the foundation and to the authors”.