Excellence in Road Safety Awards

Brussels, 4 February 2015 – European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc today presented awards to organisations from Greece, Poland, the UK and Portugal, and the global healthcare company Sanofi, for their innovations and positive impact on European road and highway safety.

The awards were devised by the European Road Safety Charter, which brings together 2,300 signatories across Europe to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on Europe’s roads. Deaths have dropped from over 76,000 in 1992 to 26,000 in 2014.

“Increased road safety is not rocket science,” Commissioner Bulc said, in Brussels. “But it does not happen on its own. Saving thousands of lives requires hard work, and it requires persistence.”

The bulk of road safety efforts are managed at the local level, to better reflect local needs, supported by overarching EU initiatives, such as motorway safety management principles and minimum standards for technical vehicle inspections.

All of the organisations being honoured this year are dedicated to finding and implementing sustainable and inventive solutions to fulfil local safety regulations and raise overall awareness amongst European citizens of the need to always be vigilant on the roads.

Commissioner Bulc said of today’s award winners: “Without you, European roads would be less safe for us all. Thank you, and let’s continue to work hard, together.”

The 2015 awardees are:

• Attikes Diadromes, the operator of Attiki Odos, a Greek road operator company recognised for its efforts to educate young people on the importance of road safety.
• The Automobile Club of Portugal, receiving the Charter Award for having designed an original global road safety educational programme with a wide reach and of high quality.
• The Cycle-Smart Foundation, a British charity working to promote safe cycling and the use of cycle helmets.
• PKP Polish State Railways, recognised for its complete action plan to increase safety at railway level crossings, a pressing safety concern in many European countries.
• Sanofi, the global healthcare company, awarded for its extensive road safety-training plan directed towards its sales teams, resulting in a 10% reduction in road accidents, setting a good example of employer responsibility.