2019 Prince Michael Awards: part two

10.53 | 16 December 2019 |


In the last of a two-part series, the Road Safety News editorial team profiles four of the UK-based initiatives to receive a 2019 Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

The awards were established by HRH Prince Michael of Kent in 1987, and each year the ‘most outstanding’ international road safety initiatives receive public recognition through the scheme.

The Prince Michael Awards are presented under five main categories based on the five pillars of the Global Plan for a Decade of Action: road safety management, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer road users and post-crash response.

The 2019 winners picked up their accolades at the annual award luncheon in London on 10 December.

Here’s what the Prince Michael Awards’ judges said about the following four winners.


SafetyCube – SafetyCube Road Decision Support System

  • Category: safer roads management

The open access web-based SafetyCube Road Safety Decision Support System (DSS) has been developed to provide policymakers with the best scientific information on risk factors and the effectiveness of interventions. A rigorous science-based approach using peer-reviewed literature provides a rich knowledge resource for all stakeholders.

The DSS is the first global system to provide comprehensive information on the nature and magnitude of both risks and measures associated with road users, vehicles, infrastructure and post-impact care.

SafetyCube was developed by an international project team, led by Loughborough University under a Horizon 2020 research contract.


Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council – Solihull School Streets

  • Category: safer roads

Solihull School Streets addresses challenging and unsafe traffic scenes outside primary schools by introducing a traffic-free zone.

Restrictions prevent parents and other road users driving in, out or around an exclusion zone at the start and finish of the school day, creating a predominantly car free area, along with a new 20mph speed limit.

Benefits include a reduction in traffic speed, congestion and air pollution, creating a safer environment and thereby encouraging families to walk or cycle.


The Baby Box Co – Baby Box

  • Category: safer road users

A partnership between Highways England and The Baby Box Co was established in 2016 to introduce and raise awareness of safe and sustainable travel. 

Using the slogan, ‘our community is your safety net bringing you expert information and trusted products so you can protect the ones who matter most’, the Baby Box on-line portal delivers expert information and trusted products as well as educational information for parents covering topics including child safety in cars and when using the road. 

The interactive system offers incentives for parents to confirm their understanding.

The road safety content includes a film emphasising the importance of vehicle checks including tyre safety, which has been viewed by nearly 100,000 parents – with 97% successfully passing the assessment to prove their understanding of the information within the film.


Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and the European Commission – providing the evidence for the adoption of the 2019 Pedestrian and General Safety Regulations

  • Category: vehicle safety

Since 2014, TRL has worked with the European Commission to assess the feasibility, costs and benefits of over 50 safety measures to update mandatory new vehicle safety standards in Europe.

Bringing together all stakeholders, the team identified a package of measures that offers maximum casualty benefit while being cost-effective for society. 

The package will be incorporated into the Pedestrian and General Safety Regulations and is predicted to save 25,000 lives in EU-28 over the next 16 years.


 

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