| The Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards recognised the work and achievements of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Road Traffic Inspectorate of the Russian Federation at its annual awards in London on 11th December. Prince Michael of Kent presented awards to Marilena Amoni, Associate Administrator of NHTSA and General Victor Kiryanov, Head of Russia’s Road Traffic Inspectorate.
The Russian Ambassador to London, Yuri Fedotov, and the US Economic Counselor at the US Embassy in London, John F. McNamara, also attended the prize giving. Both governments were hosted at the lunch by the FIA Foundation.
The Russian Road Traffic Safety Inspectorate was responsible for setting up a new Interministerial Commission on Road Safety in 2006 which prepared a new programme titled ‘Improving Road Safety 2006 to 2012’ and new legislative proposals to update the nation’s road traffic laws. The strategy has been recognised as a priority by President Putin.
The award also recognises the role the Russian Federation is playing in leading role in promoting international action on road safety. Russia holds the Chairmanship of the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s Working Party on Road Traffic Safety which has established a compendium of good practice road safety policies. General Kiryanov is an active member of the Commission for Global Road Safety. The General and the Inspectorate has played a key role in supporting the offer made by the Russian Federation to host a proposed first ever UN Ministerial Conference on global road safety in 2009.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is responsible for road safety in the US, and has been particularly focused on raising seat belt levels. As a result of NHTSA’s efforts 82 percent of adults in the USA now wear seat belts compared to 61 percent 10 years ago, and more than 90 percent of children age 1 to 3 are now properly restrained, up from 60 per cent in 1996.
The increased use of child restraints and seat belts that occurred over the past 10 years is estimated to have saved more than 20,000 lives. NHTSA is also leading the world in promoting electronic stability control (ESC) and is regulating to make ESC compulsory in all new cars by 2011. NHTSA plays a very positive role in supporting global road safety, participating and initiating global technical regulations at the World Forum for Vehicle Standards at the UN in Geneva, and playing a leading role in the UNECE Working Party for Road Traffic Safety, the OECD and the International Transport Forum. |
