On 10th May, an exhibition of children’s drawings were displayed at the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, launching the Save lives – #SlowDown campaign within the Fourth UN Global Road Safety Week, which is being marked this week all over the world.
The exhibition included drawings and other artwork promoting road traffic safety by the children of Minerva, Universul, Kiril and Metodiu, and Stefan cel Mare lyceums in Chisinau, as well as the Petre Ştefănucă lyceum in Ialoveni, which were on display to MPs, diplomats and other international organisations attending the event.
Parliamentary Speaker Mr. Andrian Candu expressed his honor of being the Road Safety Ambassador for Moldova, pointing out that it is very welcome that this year, the Global Road Safety Week started with an event at which children are also present, because this is the main purpose of the #slowdown campaign, to make roads safer primarily for children, who are the most vulnerable road users.
Mr. Candu was included in the list of signatories of the new Manifesto #4RoadSafety which launched in London earlier this week. The Manifesto is an official document issued by the Global Network of Road Safety Legislators, through which lawmakers from all over the world are being urged to support road safety actions through adopting measures that could help prevent human losses on all roads. It includes ten key recommendations to encourage parliamentarians to support the current United Nation’s Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020).
The exhibition was also attended by EASST partner Serghei Diaconu, who urged all drivers and road safety decision makers to take part in the #slowdown campaign and sign up to the Manifesto #4RoadSafety which is supported globally by HRH Prince Michael of Kent, Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen and Dr Etienne Krug of the World Health Organisation. Stating that even a 5% reduction in speed can result in a 30% reduction of the number of fatal crashes. It is difficult to identify any other measure which is as low cost and easy that can result in such huge reductions in the number of victims and economic losses worldwide, including Moldova.
Other speakers at the event included Alexandru Pânzari – Chief of the General Police Inspectorate, Tatiana Mihailova – project manager of the Automobile Club of Moldova, and the children whose drawings were presented at the exhibition. All guests signed Save Lives – #SlowDown pledges, expressing their solidarity with this global action and to obey the speed limits.
This campaign is taking place within the Fourth UN Global Road Safety Week in Moldova, and is organised by the Automobile Club of Moldova, the National Patrolling Inspectorate, in collaboration with the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the support of the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST), the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations, and the Theater of Young Talents, Oratorul.
