His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent has presented Safe Kids Worldwide and FedEx with his International Road Safety Award for the Safe Kids Walk This Way program. He presented his award at a reception to mark the forthcoming Decade of Action for Road Safety as declared by the United Nations.
Through Safe Kids Walk This Way, FedEx and Safe Kids Worldwide are making communities around the world safer places for children to play, explore and navigate streets through youth-focused pedestrian safety programs. The program began in 2000 and since then expanded from the United States alone to a total of nine countries. Since program inception, it has engaged more than 4 million child participants.
“The ‘Safe Kids Walk This Way’ program is already proving to be an important contribution to making roads safer in the developing world,” says HRH Prince Michael of Kent. “I congratulate FedEx for its substantial support for the program through an investment worth millions of dollars. It is an outstanding example of how major corporations can make a real contribution to saving lives.”
“A staggering 720 children die across the globe from road traffic crashes every day,” says John Formisano, president and chief executive officer of Safe Kids Worldwide. “FedEx and Safe Kids Worldwide influence traffic legislation through public policy initiatives to help children. In addition, together we help change unsafe behaviors in children through education on how to safely travel to and from school, equip teachers and parents with tools to keep kids safe, and create safer environments through infrastructure improvements such as improved crosswalks, signs and sidewalks.”