The Abertis Foundation was appointed today as a new member of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration Group. The decision was made at the 27th biannual meeting of the UN, which is taking place this week on Crete, Greece. Abertis is the first infrastructures company to form part of this committee.
The Organisation praised the Abertis Group’s work to improve road safety, in particular its commitment to United Nations’ road safety goals, which are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set out in the 2030 Agenda. Another key point was the long-term commitment to UNICEF and road safety demonstrated by the Abertis Group.
Abertis has been working with UNICEF since 2017, via a global alliance to fight the main death cause in school-age children: road traffic accidents. Initially slated to last 3 years, the aim of the "Rights of Way" project is to strengthen and scale up UNICEF’s existing work to protect children on the world’s roads and provide a safe journey to school. This programme is currently underway in 65 schools in high-risk zones, covering around 267,000 pupils in countries with high levels of road accidents involving children.
Moreover, within the framework of this agreement, Abertis has incorporated a new area of collaboration with the Institut Guttmann, which pools best practices in the prevention of injuries in traffic accidents involving children. Under this partnership, medical teams specialised in the treatment of injuries of neurological origin (spinal cord injury and acquired brain damage) from the Institut Guttmann travel to different countries to carry out training sessions and advise local doctors on best practices for the prevention and treatment of injuries sustained in traffic accidents.
The director of the Abertis Foundation, Sergi Loughney, has expressed his satisfaction: “The entry into the United Nations Road Safety Collaborative Group is a source of pride for the Abertis Group and all its employees, who have priority in providing safer infrastructures that help save lives."
Road safety: a priority for Abertis
For Abertis, a world reference in toll road management, road safety is a priority. The Group can draw on over 60 years of experience in road management and maintenance as it strives year on year to reduce the number of victims on its toll road network to zero.
Thanks to its efforts, the accident rate on Abertis' worldwide network of toll roads was reduced to 6.4% in 2018, while the mortality rate fell by 10% year on year.
Via its Road Safety programme, Abertis and its Foundation carry out education and awareness-raising campaigns in all the countries in which it operates. Abertis also stages road safety forums in the major cities of the countries in which it operates. Last week these national gatherings were held in Argentina and Chile, following similar events in Brazil, Spain, France and Puerto Rico. In 2018 over 7,500 people attended these forums, which are expected to be organised in countries including Italy, Belgium, the US and India in the future.
Abertis works with numerous international organisations which are working on solutions for this global problem. The company has signed up to the Waze App's Connected Citizens program in seven countries (Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, Chile, Puerto Rico and Argentina), with the aim of sharing information to improve the road safety of drivers.
In addition, the Group carries out education and awareness-raising campaigns in all the countries in which it operates via the Abertis Foundation. In the academic arena, Abertis funds road safety research in six leading universities around the world through its network of academic chairs set up to promote education, research and knowledge transfer between academia and the company.
3 December 2024
•The celebration took place at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid and was attended by the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz; Elena Salgado, president of the Abertis Foundation; Juan Santamaría, president of Abertis; José Aljaro, CEO of Abertis; accompanied by representatives from the social, political and economic spheres who have formed part of the Abertis Foundation over its 25-year history.
Madrid, 3rd December 2024.- The Abertis Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary with a commemorative event at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, which was presided over by His Majesty King Felipe VI and attended ...
28 November 2024
•In 2024, the Abertis Chairs have awarded prizes to research projects in the different countries where these contests are held, and the International Prize, selected from among all the winners, has gone to contestants from France, Brazil and Chile, from the Université de Lyon, Universidade Federal do Ceará and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, respectively.
•The Abertis Chair Awards foster the connection between universities and business and strengthen comprehensive training and research in mobility management, transport and development in the field of planning and operation of transport systems with a view to social, economic and environmental sustainability.
•Ever since their ...
