Pope Francis supports children’s road safety in meeting with FIA President
FIA PRESS RELEASE 14.01.2016
Today in Rome, FIA President Jean Todt met with Pope Francis to highlight the global road safety challenge and make roads safer for the 1.8 billion children who risk their lives on the roads every day
Pope Francis received in a private audience Jean Todt, the President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) who is also UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, accompanied by Michelle Yeoh, actress and an FIA Ambassador for Road Safety, Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and Angelo Sticchi Damiani, President of the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI).
Jean Todt outlined today’s road safety challenge and the need for governments and communities to prioritise road safety, beginning with putting in place effective traffic regulations. He presented Pope Francis a film directed by Luc Besson entitled “Save Kids Lives” in support of the #SaveKidsLives campaign, which draws attention to the 500 children, one every three minutes, who are killed every day on the world’s roads, by encouraging people to sign the Child Declaration on Road Safety. His Holiness Pope Francis showed great interest for the cause and signed in support of the campaign.
Jean Todt said: “We warmly thank His Holiness for his time today to discuss road safety. Road crashes are one of the most pressing global challenges of our time. They disproportionately affect the poorest countries and the most vulnerable in our communities. Pope Francis’ support of the #SaveKidsLives campaign will help raise awareness of the 500 children who lose their lives every day on the world’s road and help us spread the message that this tragedy can be prevented.”
To learn more about the #SaveKidsLives campaign and watch the film by Luc Besson, go to savekidslives2015.org
