Express Road Safety campaign
An initiative towards education for safer roads
The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Dr Ian Borg launched the Express Road Safety campaign, which is being led by Express Trailers, aimed at promoting more responsible road sharing.
Minister Borg reiterated his belief in continuous education towards safer roads and described the campaign as a versatile one which reaches different sectors of society. The minister explained that a company such as this, which operates in a sector directly related to transport, has a greater potential of reaching audiences within the same industry and commended the incentive they are proposing to encourage similar companies to come up with their own initiatives towards road safety.
Addressing the launch of the campaign, the chairman and CEO of Express Trailers, Franco Azzopardi said “our company is regarded as the leading respected transport and logistics operator in Malta. Although we deploy a large fleet of trucks, trailers and vans to deliver most of our essential day-to-day commodities, we acknowledge that we are also a nuisance on the road. Therefore, we decided that we wanted to take an active role in the community and we felt that promoting road safety would be most in line with our operations as active road users.
“We enjoy a very positive track record and widespread respect as responsible road users and we are delighted to have found the support of Transport Malta and notably, the Malta Road Safety Council, with whom we are embarking on this campaign.”
The company believes that road safety should be a top priority for everyone, especially drivers, who are being called to drive responsibly and protect more vulnerable road users. He said that on the road, everyone is borrowing space and everyone has an acquired right to use roads, adding that every road user is responsible for the safety of others.
Minister Borg commended the company for the initiative, for its general commitment to road safety in its operation and praised its decision to consult with Transport Malta and the Malta Road Safety Council towards ensuring that more benefits are reaped from the campaign.
The minister spoke about the significance of the graphic symbolising the campaign; a heart held within hands which symbolise the road. He linked this to the unfortunate fatal accidents we hear about so often; accidents which have led hearts like the one in the picture to stop beating. “We talk, discuss and try to reason things out every time an accident happens, but this is not enough – we need to act and that is what we are doing and what we will continue to do throughout our work,” he said, explaining the work being done by the ministry towards this aim, such as designing safer roads and including safety facilities such as improved crash barriers which better protect motorbike riders. He also spoke about the strengthened Transport Malta enforcement team, which he met earlier last week and which now consists of 166 members, stating that the ministry continues to invest in better training and equipment for the unit.
The minister concluded by reit- erating his full support for any educational campaign towards responsible behaviour on the road, and said that the ministry is carrying out work, together with Transport Malta, to continue contributing towards this aim. “I believe that the fact that we are launching another campaign here today means that our messages towards promoting more responsibility on the road is coming across,” the minister said.
Azzopardi expressed the company’s commitment, through its team of drivers, to advocate more actively in favour of road safety on Malta’s roads. “Our drivers are our foremost ambassadors on the road and we take safety very seriously. This campaign will be a celebration of this commitment,” concluded Azzopardi.
Pierre Vella from the Malta Road Safety Council commended the fact that a private company like Express Trailers was taking the initiative to launch a road safety awareness campaign on a national level and reiterated the Road Safety Council’s support to ensure the effectiveness of this campaign. “Everyone is a road user, and therefore, everyone is being called to act responsibly on the road. Ensuring that our roads are safe should not only be the duty of the authorities or policymakers, but it is high time that everyone understands that on the road, we are all vulnerable and we can all contribute by reducing speed, avoiding dangerous manoeuvres and respecting driving regulations.” More information about the campaign can be found at www.expressroadsafety.com