Prince Michael Speeches
Speech by HRH Prince Michael of Kent 12 Dec 2023
A very warm welcome to you all.
I am delighted that so many are here today to support and congratulate my award winners and join them in celebrating success. I am sure that you will agree that their work is both inspirational and effective. The diversity and reach of the winning initiatives are truly noteworthy.
This year we received over seventy nominations many of the highest possible standard and the winners represent some of the most effective new innovations being used to reduce death and injury on our roads.
Earlier I was delighted to be able to meet representatives from the winning teams and hope that you all have been able to exchange ideas and make new contacts. I am also pleased that they were able to spend a little time yesterday together exchanging their knowledge and meeting others in our field. Later you too will be able to learn a little more about each of the winning schemes.
As all of us here know we are now three years into the second decade of action with a goal of reducing deaths by fifty percent by 2030. My awards go to those schemes which have ben identified as making a strong contribution to this goal. Among this year’s winners we see many which have the potential to grow either within their own area or through collaboration and cooperation with others.
The global plan for the decade calls for a wholesale adoption of a safe system approach and as you will see this approach is central to all the winning schemes.
As many of you know a safe system only works when there is a high level of compliance. Enforcement agencies are as important as ever, so it is heartening to see initiatives which apply technology to support their work among the winners.
My award categories reflect the global plan for the Decade of Action, but this year we have introduces a new category – to highlight the significance of developing technologies. Not just those which directly reduce risk such as vehicle safety systems but those using artificial intelligence to help authorities to develop their plans.
An important group of winners are those which encourage the sharing of knowledge. Earlier in the year I was delighted to able to present an award to recognise the importance of the EU Road Safety Knowledge Exchange project – managed by ETSC. This is a fine example of how important it is to have programmes which allow others to learn from successes.
I would also like to pay tribute to many businesses in the private sector. Not only is this where so much innovation takes place, especially in the application of new technologies, but other businesses which do not specialise in road safety can also play an important role especially in the management of those who drive for work. Over the years I have awarded many companies for their work in this area, and today we see two more winners.
I am delighted to welcome many of my award winners from previous years and am sure that this lunch will provide an opportunity to meet others who share your values and ambitions. And to forge links with the many organisations which would welcome the chance to learn more and find ways of collaboration.
I am grateful to the FIA Foundation for your leadership in our field and of course for your support. My awards scheme simply would not be possible without it.
I would also like to thank Bosch – a company which leads the world in safety innovation – your support and sponsorship has helped to make this day so successful.
My thanks also go to our table sponsors mentioned in the programme.
Later I will announce my Premier Award winner but for now I ask you all to join me in congratulating all my award winners.
Premier Award.
I hope that you are enjoying your lunch.
Now before announcing my Premier Award, I would like to especially thank my panel of judges who come from across the world, and I am delighted that so many were able to be with us today.
Although my awards are international, I was proud that four of this year’s winning schemes operate here in London. As you have heard the Mayor of has set an ambition to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from road collisions on London’s streets by 2041. The associated investment and commitment are impressive and for this reason this year I am presenting my Premier Award to Transport for London.
Speech by Prince Michael PMIRSA 10th December, The Savoy 2022
A huge welcome to you all.
It is such a pleasure for me to be able to be here once more to celebrate the success of my award winners.
It is also very special to be able to welcome many former award winners today and once again to be with so many of you who contribute so much to improving road safety across the world.
It is unfortunate that, since our last ceremony in 2019, my award winners have not been able to come together for an opportunity to celebrate together like this. It is therefore very special to be able to be together once again and to share your collective endeavours in improving road safety.
Much has happened in our field during the last three years. The Third Global Ministerial Conference in Stockholm was a watershed event. I was delighted to be able to be there together with Baroness Vere who has done so much to keep road safety in a strong position on the government agenda. I am pleased that she will be able to join us shortly.
That important meeting led directly to a UN General Assembly Declaration announcing a Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, with a goal of reducing road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 per cent by 2030.
There have also been many countries, cities and states across the world that have begun to implement the Safe System approach and adopt ambitious casualty reduction targets.
Meanwhile here in Britain we eagerly await news of a new road safety strategy from our government.
Within the private sector we have seen an increasing number of businesses adopting sound safety practices to manage their employees.
In the field of vehicle safety there have been improvements not just in technology but also in the adoption of regulations in many regions to require manufacturers to fit improved safety features.
Technology has played an increasing role, many of my awards over the last few years have reflected this. I am therefore very keen that we recognise this even more in the future.
But as we all know much more needs to be done if the Global Plan is to succeed.
It is not just up to governments. Business, industry and civil society all have a part to play.
I have been impressed by the growing success of work being done by NGOs, usually working in partnership and I am especially pleased that many of my award winners this year reflect this significant development.
You will hear more about their successes later but now I would like to pay tribute to award-winning teams from recent years who are with us today.
I would like to highlight the outstanding advocacy work carried out by The Towards Zero Foundation. My Premier Award in 2020 recognised their successful 50 by 30 campaign which led to the adoption of the vital casualty reduction targets enshrined in the Global Plan.
The National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme won my Premier Award in 2012 and has proved a highly successful enforcement programme here in Britain especially the speed awareness courses. But as COVID hit it was no longer possible for these to be delivered face to face, so with remarkable speed the team designed an on-line alternative which went live in just seven days.
Here in the UK, our strategic roads authority, National Highways puts the safety of its customers as top priority but has not restricted its safety investment simply to infrastructure programmes. Its outreach activities have formed an important element of its strategy. One of these is the Driving for Better Business campaign which was also among the winners last year.
The Road Safety Foundation has been the driving force behind the introduction of The Safer Roads Fund which enables central government funds to be invested at a local level. This fund was a winner last year.
Here, I would like to pay tribute to Lord Whitty who joined the foundation in 2014 and is now stepping down as its chairman. He has made a significant contribution to the UK's road safety record, not least as chairman but also as a former Minister for Roads.
My awards scheme would not be possible without the generous support from our sponsors. I would like to thank Bosch, Michelin the MCIA and especially The FIA Foundation which has done so much for road safety since its creation 20 years ago. It is through the generosity of these that we are able to hold this ceremony here today.
One unique aspect of my awards scheme is that winners are selected by their peers. I am most grateful to my judges who have given considerable time to reviewing the nominations and thank their chairman Iain Cameron who is with us here today having travelled from Australia.
My thanks too to the team from Agilysis which this year is working with RoadSafe to deliver this ceremony.
Above all we are here today to celebrate the achievements of my award winners who come from five different continents. Later I will announce my Premier Award winner but for now my congratulations to you all.
Speech by Prince Michael PMIRSA 10th December, The Savoy 2019.
''I am delighted to be able to welcome you this afternoon to celebrate some outstanding achievements.
First l wish to congratulate my award winners. You have been judged by your peers to be among a unique group of people who are so committed to improving the safety of those who travel on the world’s roads. I commend you on what you have achieved and thank you for your contribution to The Decade of Action.
This year we have twenty five winners which in itself is outstanding. But what is even more exciting is that the benefits of your innovations and efforts are being directly felt in so many countries not just here in Europe but in Asia, Africa and America. Congratulations to you all.
Secondly I am delighted that so many of my award winners from previous years are able to be here today with many others who work in our field. I am sure that this will ensure that you will be inspired to spread your knowledge and expertise even further.
As we reach the final year of the Decade we are all reflecting on how much has been achieved, but with a clear understanding that so much more is needed in the years to come.
We need to remind ourselves that the risk of a road traffic death varies significantly by region. Rates in low and middle-income countries are often more than double those in with high incomes.
We also know that even in the most developed countries the rates of casualty reduction are stagnating.
We are frequently harshly reminded that much more needs to be done to discover the real underlying causes of death and injury. Here in Britain for instance even on our motorways which were opened sixty years ago and are among the world’s safety roads we still have tragic deaths.
Building safe systems to eliminate the consequences of human error is paramount. We can only do this by applying technology, not just in the design of our roads and vehicles but also in decision support and research programmes and in enforcement systems toI am therefore delighted that among my winners are some fine examples of how such applications are making a difference.
Action is needed not just by governments but by many others from both public and private sectors and the many important international organisations as well. I am therefore pleased that a number of my awards this year reflect the important work going on to share knowledge and build capacity.
Yesterday we launched a new report prepared by an expert panel from my Commonwealth Road Safety Initiative. This will serve to put road safety properly on the agenda of these fifty three countries with a clear aim to halve deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
My awards scheme would not be possible without the generous support from my sponsors. I would like to thank especially the FIA Foundation, Bosch, Michelin the MCIA.
Later I will announce my Premier Award for this year but just before we have lunch I would like to return to The Decade of Action.
Each year I make a special award recognising significant effort in advancing the international road safety agenda during the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Back in In 2004 my Premier Award winner was The World Health Organisation which together with The World Bank, published The World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention. This drew public attention to the scale of casualties across the globe.
Since then WHO has led the international community to commit to United Nations Decade, launched in 2010.
The team behind this outstanding achievement led by Dr Etienne Krug also contributed significantly to no less than eight General Assembly resolutions and three international transport ministerial meetings.
I am therefore delighted that two people from that team, Dr Krug and Dr Margie Peden are here to receive my 2019 Decade of Action Award.''
After lunch...
''As you heard awards to reflect innovation and achievement in the five pillars of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action. This year as we have nearly eighty entries so you can imagine that my judges had a tough task – I would like to thank them for their careful consideration and recommendations.
The one pillar which so often receives poor attention is post-crash response.
Although within many developed countries emergency services respond well and efficiently to casualties. And that hospital and rehabilitation care are excellent. The contrast with less well- developed regions could not be more stark.
I am therefore delighted that My Premier Award this year recognises work being done to redress this imbalance. I therefore congratulate Fire Aid as the winner.''
Speech by Prince Michael PMIRSA 11th December, The Savoy 2018.
'We are here today to celebrate the achievements of my award winners from 2018 and I am delighted that you have been joined by many former winners. Your contribution has been significant and I am grateful to you all for your commitment and initiative.
Over the years my award ceremony has grown to become more than just a celebration of success.
It is a wonderful opportunity to bring together many who dedicate their time and talents to reducing risk on our roads. I am therefore delighted that we are able to hold it to coincide with a number of important meetings which encourage us to share ideas and learn from each other.
Partnership and collaboration are essential if we are to be successful.
So today I am pleased to announce a new Commonwealth Road Safety Initiative. It will encourage collaboration and develop a shared framework of best practice for legislators, policy makers, private sector, and civil society. I am delighted to welcome its expert panel here today.
Earlier this year I was able to join The UN Road Safety Collaboration in New York and to take part in The UN General Assembly debate where we reflected on the achievements of the Decade of Action.
The assembly showed that although some progress during the decade, this is also highlighted The World Health Organisation’s Status Report published last week,.
However it is clear that even more is needed if we are to achieve substantial reduction in lives lost.
I therefore believe that we need three complimentary initiatives:
First, we need to support the new UN road safety target for 2030 to halve road deaths and serious injuries. This will reinvigorate the road safety ambition of the Sustainable Development Goals and provide a framework for accountability and action.
Of course, our vision is for a world free from road traffic fatalities but we should use this target as a benchmark for progress rather than the final destination. The serious risk is that, without such a new casualty reduction target, the road safety performance of UN Member States will be weakly measured and consequently poorly managed.
Second, we need to mobilise new resources to finance road injury prevention programmes. The creation of the UN Trust Fund will aid this and I am delighted that the first grants have already been made to support pilot schemes in developing countries. I am also pleased that companies including Michelin are pledging substantial support.
Third we need much stronger political commitment. We know that the countries with the best road safety performance have benefited from strong and sustained political support.
I am therefore pleased to learn that planning is well-advanced for the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety to be held in Sweden in February 2020 and look forward to Global Road Safety Week in May next year when the theme will be on "Leadership for Road Safety"
The three propositions, to set a new UN target for 2030, to boost funding and to increase political commitment for road safety are inter-related. A target is needed to measure performance, funds are needed for effectiveness, and political commitment is needed for action. All three require strong leadership.
Here I would like to pay tribute to Jean Todt – The President of FIA who has shown outstanding commitment and exemplary leadership. He has established a High Level Panel which continues the proud tradition of the FIA, and the FIA Foundation, in leading the agenda. In 2015, he was appointed to be the first UN Special Envoy for Road Safety. Using both his FIA and UN offices, Jean has successfully campaigned for the UN Road Safety Trust Fund, which as I have said has now been established.
Although I was unable to be in St Petersburg last week to present him with My Decade of Action Award I am grateful to Lord Robertson for doing so on my behalf.
Later I will announce my Premier Award winner and I don’t want to keep you from your lunch for any longer but must thank all involved in organising my Awards, especially the judges who had to consider in excess of sixty nominations. My thanks go also to our generous sponsors who make the scheme possible.
But above all my congratulations go to you my award winners and I ask for a round of applause for my award winners. Congratulations to you all.''
Speech by Prince Michael to the UN Road Safety Collaboration April 2018
''My Dear colleagues,
I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak to the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration. Since 2004 the organisation has played a key role co-ordinating the United Nation’s response to the loss of thirty-five hundred lives every day on the world’s roads. Your activities have provided important strategic direction to the Decade of Action for Road Safety. Most important, the Global Plan for the Decade developed by the UNRSC has encouraged countries to adopt more effective policies for road injury prevention. Your meetings bring together a powerful coalition of UN agencies, development banks, researchers, non-government organisations, philanthropies and private sector companies.
Going through the list of participants for this meeting I can see that the UNRSC membership reads like an alumni association for my International Road Safety Awards. For over thirty years now, my awards have recognised excellence in road injury prevention, and it is good to see so many winners here today. I am pleased also that the awards are on the agenda of your meeting, because our judging panel is always interested to receive more international nominations. Recognizing achievement and good practice is essential, and enables us to put our road safety successes under the spotlight. This demonstrates leadership and encourages others to take action; at a time when the urgency of effective road injury prevention has never been more pressing.
It is deeply shocking that since the beginning of this century over twenty million people have lost their lives in road crashes. And another 850 million have been injured. This is not only a tragedy for millions of families but an appalling cost to countries the world over. We know that the vast majority of these deaths and injuries can be prevented. This motivated the UN to call for a Decade of Action in 2011 and then to include road safety in the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. But we also know that the scale of response so far has been far from adequate.
The Decade of Action was launched with the aim to “stabilize and then reduce” the level of road fatalities. Today we can say that at best there has been some stabilization but not yet any significant reduction. As you all know very well, the SDG Goal for Health includes the target to halve road deaths and injuries by 2020. Unfortunately, it is clear now that this will not be achieved. Against this disappointing background, it is surely time for some strategic reflection on how to inject more urgency into improving road safety globally.
In the resolution just adopted by the General Assembly I am very encouraged that the Government of Sweden has offered to host a Third High Level Global Ministerial Meeting on Road Safety. This important event will mark the end of the UN Decade of Action, but it must also lead to a new level of global commitment to road injury prevention. In many ways the Decade of Action has served as a useful period of preparation. We have a stronger level of engagement by the UN, the development banks, the private sector and civil society. We have a better understanding of effective road policies and a range of measures included in the World Health Organization’s Save LIVES technical package. And crucially compared to ten years ago, there are many more countries ready to take action to make roads safe.
So, we are poised now to deliver on the Decade of Action’s promise to do more than just stabilise the level of road fatalities. In order now to achieve substantial reduction in lives lost, I suggest, we need three complimentary initiatives.
First, we need to establish a new UN road safety target for 2030 to halve road deaths and serious injuries. This will reinvigorate the road safety ambition of the SDGs and provide a framework for accountability and action. Of course, our vision is for a world free from road traffic fatalities but we have intended this target as a benchmark for progress rather than the final destination. The serious risk is that, without such a new casualty reduction target, the road safety performance of UN Member States will be weakly measured and consequently poorly managed.
Second, we need to mobilise new resources to finance road injury prevention programmes. Here I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of Jean Todt, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy and the Secretariat of the UNECE. Today their proposal for a UN Road Safety Trust Fund has been approved. This fills a major institutional gap and provides a new opportunity to ensure that road safety attracts the funding it so clearly deserves. I hope that donors will respond generously.
Third we need much stronger political commitment to road safety. We know that the countries with the best road safety performance have benefitted from strong and sustained political support. In that contest it is important that today’s General Assembly resolution acknowledges the key role of legislators in passing effective road safety policies and laws, and allocating budgetary support. That is why, I am especially pleased to welcome here today a delegation of MPs from the Global Network for Road Safety Legislators. Hosted by the Towards Zero Foundation, of which I am patron, the Global Network was first proposed at the 2nd High Level Global Conference on Road Safety in Brasilia. Launched in London in 2016, the Global Network aims to encourage more engagement from parliamentarians worldwide in road safety. Its dedicated and energetic chairman, Barry Sheerman MP, will be describing their work to you shortly.
The three propositions I have made today, to set a new UN target for 2030, to boost funding and to increase political commitment for road safety are inter-related. A target is needed to measure performance, funds are needed for effectiveness, and political commitment is needed for action. All three are about leadership. The work of the UNRSC, is at its best when providing a platform for road safety leadership. So please continue your important role co-ordinating the UN systems work on road safety. And I fervently hope that together we can use the last two years of the UN Decade to set a new path of road safety progress for 2030. Millions of lives depend upon it.
Thank you very much.''
Speech by Prince Michael PMIRSA 12th December, The Savoy 2017
''A very warm welcome to you all.
It is especially pleasing to be with so many experts at this truly international gathering at the culmination of a number of events in London which have attracted so many who do so much for improved safety.
I am also pleased that we are able to celebrate the achievements of so many who have received my awards since I first started my scheme in 1987.
Although my awards were initially solely British I soon began to appreciate just how bad the situation was elsewhere, especially in the developing world so I changed the focus of my Awards and was able to recognise those who were working to improve safety internationally. Over the last 20 years we have seen steady progress especially in Europe, Australasia and America but the enormity of the challenge facing us especially in the developing world still remains.
Much of this progress has been due to the work of The United Nations and its lead agency responsible – The WHO, but without the stimulus and energy of the FIA Foundation and its continuous campaigning I doubt if we would have even started.
Many of the achievements of my award winners are highlighted in the brochure which has been so expertly put together by the team from The Foundation. You will see just how diverse and innovative these have been.
I have been impressed by the work of the many people involved, including many government officials, engineers and researchers, business leaders and even, in some cases, road traffic victims themselves. My awards have sought to shine a spotlight on their ideas and achievements, and to bring together people from different continents to share success and learn from one another.
So today our focus is on this year’s winners and I am delighted that they are able meet so many others involved in making roads safer not just here in Britain but across the world too.
We are here to celebrate the achievements of many people behind schemes from multi-national organisations to simple local schemes. But I know that all of you will be as impressed as I have been by the ingenuity and resourcefulness shown.
I also know that you all believe as I do that without support from philanthropic organisations such as the Bloomberg Philanthropy as well as many commercial companies like Michelin you would have achieved much less.
The road safety challenges facing developing countries remain considerable. But international cooperation, non-existent in 1987, is now on a much stronger footing. The ambitions of the Decade of Action and the power of Sustainable Development Goals will help.
But in reality it has been many like you responsible for technical and organisational innovation together with important national and international advocates who work at many levels to reduce casualties and share knowledge that are making a difference. Above all it has been government action which has led the way and we know all too well that when there is government in-action casualties are on the increase.
I am pleased to add my strong personal support to the global call for action. Now we must redouble these efforts so as to meet our ambitious international targets and realise the ‘Vision Zero’ of a road transport system that no longer kills or seriously injures its users.''
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