Jean Todt participates in Road Safety Ministerial Conference in Malta

29.03.17

On 28-29 March, FIA President Jean Todt, who also serves as UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, participated in the High Level Ministerial Stakeholders Road Safety and Maritime Conference in Malta, along with European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport Violeta Bulc and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Joe Mizzi

Jean Todt, Malta, road safety

Today, the European Commission issued the Valletta Declaration, a strongly worded Declaration on Road Safety intended to re-invigorate the activities in Europe in this area.

Indeed, although road traffic fatalities have decreased in Europe over the past decades, recent figures show a plateauing trend. In order to halve the fatalities by 2020 in alignment with the goals of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, there is a need to fully harness innovation and technology.

During his opening speech, Jean Todt insisted on the necessity to implement the United Nations Road Safety Conventions in all European countries and reminded the audience of the top risk factors, which are drink-driving, seat belt and helmet use, child restraints and speed.

He also highlighted the need to keep working on the Five Pillars: road safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users and post-crash response.

He mentioned the UN Resolution to explore the establishment of a UN Road Safety Fund as a major step forward and asked for the EU’s support, before concluding on his wish to take this commitment even further, outside the EU, and inspire greater political will to make safer roads a global priority.

Talking about the Valletta Declaration, Jean Todt said: “I welcome the adoption of today’s declaration, and congratulate Commissioner Bulc and the Maltese Presidency for taking the initiative to organise this Ministerial conference. While great progress has been made in Europe over recent decades, new impetus is urgently needed if we are to meet the Commission’s goal of zero deaths by 2050.”