Project EDWARD has published its first podcast of 2026, featuring an in-depth conversation with Adrian Walsh, one of the defining voices in UK and international road safety over several decades.
As director of RoadSafe and founder of the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards, Adrian has helped shape how governments, practitioners and industry think about the Safe System and the future of transport safety.
In this wide-ranging interview, Adrian talks to James Luckhurst about the origins and global growth of the Prince Michael Awards, including the decision to expand internationally in response to the growing toll of road deaths in low- and middle-income countries and the launch of the UN Decade of Action.
He also explains why real Safe System thinking demands a dynamic understanding of how people and vehicles interact, not just smart slogans.
Adrian sets out why the human being must sit at the heart of any Safe System, describing how layers of protection around each of us should work “exactly the same as a mother would with her child”. He highlights practical examples that bring those principles to life, from PRIME motorcycle markings in Scotland and Safe Schools initiatives in Vietnam to the way different authorities are beginning to manage the whole system – not just isolated “pillars” of engineering, education or enforcement.
Looking ahead, Adrian urges the road safety community to embrace connected and driver-assistance technologies as powerful tools for casualty reduction, while never losing sight of prevention as the primary goal.
James Luckhurst commented: “Adrian’s expertise and wisdom will ensure listeners come away with clear, memorable insights into what the Safe System really is, why it is so often misunderstood, and where to go – including the new Safe System Exchange – to deepen their own practice.”
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