New UN resolution recognises motorcycle safety
Monday, November 23, 2009
Source-http://www.ma.org.au/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News9&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=34970
FIM Chief Executive Officer Guy Maitre and Director of Public Affairs John Chatterton-Ross were in Moscow 19-20 November for the United Nations first Ministerial Conference on road safety.
Opening the conference the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev called for action on a worldwide crisis running at one million three hundred thousand road deaths every year.
President Medvedev called for action on road safety to match other global issues. “Road safety is one of the most serious problems of international development requiring immediate action.”
“We need coordinated international effort. – This is an issue on the level of the global recession and food security.
"The UN Decade of Action will coordinate activity. Like many countries, Russia would benefit from increased international cooperation on road safety if a Decade of Action was adopted.”
The four page declaration includes specific action on vulnerable road users. It reads:
Make particular efforts to develop and implement policies and infrastructure solutions to protect all road users in particular those who are most vulnerable such as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and users of unsafe public transport, as well as children, the elderly and people living with disabilities.
FIM CEO Guy Maitre said: “It was vital to attend – the FIM is a family of 101 national federations representing motorcycling worldwide and our mission runs beyond sport, we are the global advocate for motorcycling.”
FIM Director of Public Affairs John Chatterton-Ross added: “Wire rope barriers? I don’t think so! You can be certain this new and very welcome UN action will be widely quoted from now on as we work with governments to improve safety for riders and other vulnerable road users across the world.”
