An initiative which aims to spearhead significant and sustained reduction in death and serious injury across Europe has been recognised with a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.
Project EDWARD (European Day Without A Road Death) was created in 2016 by TISPOL, the European Traffic Police Network, to ‘re-energise the reduction of fatalities and serious injuries on Europe’s roads’.
In making the award, the Prince Michael judging panel said Project EDWARD showed ‘a high degree of collaboration from a wide range of organisations working together across Europe’.
Ruth Purdie, TISPOL general secretary, said: “We are thrilled. This is an award for everyone who put their trust in us when Project EDWARD started in 2016, and who have supported us as the initiative has grown.
“We have constantly tried to innovate in our approach to road safety. Project EDWARD brings together all the police forces across Europe with joint engagement and enforcement activity that combines professionalism, integrity, compassion, equality and fairness.
“Project EDWARD is a perfect example of maximising our innovative approach.”
Project EDWARD 2018, which took place on 19 September, is said to have ‘struck a chord far beyond the road safety sector’.
31 European countries participated in the event, with the #ProjectEDWARD hashtag reaching 25 million Twitter users on the day.
Among the famous people tweeting their support was Nico Rosberg, the 2016 F1 World Champion, who described road safety as ‘something very important to me’.
The Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards recognise the ‘most outstanding’ international road safety initiatives.
The winners are invited to the awards’ luncheon held at The Savoy in London, which this year takes place on 11 December – when Prince Michael will announce his 2018 Premier Award winner.
In 2017, Bosch Global picked up the top accolade in recognition of its electronic stability control (ESC) technology – described as the ‘most significant advance in vehicle safety since the seatbelt’.
More importantly, did the day in question actually turn out to be a ‘European day without a road death? If so the award is well deserved and a remarkable achievement – or does simply achieving millions of tweets merit a road safety award these days?
Hugh Jones
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