WTISD 2013: Felipe Massa Video Message
Date: NaT

Felipe Massa, Formula-1 Ferrari driver, simulates road safety at ITU HQ, Geneva, 17 May 2013.

The theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2013, "ICTs and Improving Road Safety" is in line with the United Nations "Decade of Action for Road Safety" which dedicates the period 2011-2020 towards improving global road safety.
"The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety is dedicated to helping to make roads and vehicles safer worldwide," said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "I commend the International Telecommunication Union for its work with industry to develop ICT standards and for collaborating with the International Automobile Federation to create awareness on road safety." Mr Ban noted that Hands-free communications mean fewer accidents, especially among young people who account for more than half of road deaths.

ITU has been leading worldwide efforts in developing state-of-the-art ICT standards for intelligent transport systems (ITS) and driver safety that utilize a combination of computers, communications, positioning and automation technologies, including in-car radars for collision avoidance. ITU has also been developing standards for safe user interfaces and communication systems in vehicles as well as optimizing driving performance by eliminating unsafe technology-related distractions while driving.
"Road traffic safety is a global concern for public health and injury prevention," ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré said. "Every year, 1.3 million people die in traffic related accidents and another 20-50 million people are injured mainly in developing countries around the world. As a result, Governments and individuals suffer an estimated USD 518 billion in global economic loss."

Dr Touré's message was very clear: "Don't be distracted by technology when driving, whether calling from your mobile phone, or setting the navigation system. Sending a text message or tweeting while driving is extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all cost." This message was reiterated emphatically by the three 2013 World Telecommunication and Information Society Award laureates: Mr Ueli Maurer, President of the Swiss Confederation; Mr Volkmar Denner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH; and Mr Jean Todt, President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). The three laureates were honoured in recognition of their leadership and dedication towards promoting ICTs as a means of improving road safety.

Formula-1 advocates safety: Ferrari's Felipe Massa revs power for safe driving
Formula-1 champion driver, Felipe Massa, who drove his 125th Grand Prix for Ferrari last weekend in Barcelona for a strong podium finish, put his foot down in a simulator during the ceremony indicating how on board distractions can affect even the most talented professional driver. Off the track, Massa works with Brazilian children focusing their energy towards sports. He is also a strong advocate of FIA's Action for Road Safety.
Reiterating the tone of all speakers at the ceremony, Monisha Kaltenborn, team principal of the Switzerland-based Sauber F-1 team said in a pre-taped video message: "Safety is paramount for Formula-1. Formula-1 is very safety conscious. It is a trend that has developed over two decades and has led to higher levels of safety even as speeds have increased." Emphasizing that "motorsports is like a high-speed laboratory for car manufacturers that allows us to use sophisticated materials, technologies and processes which finally result in components that are lighter, more compact or more efficient", Ms Kaltenborn said: "My message on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is drive safely. And please don't text while driving."

Also present at ITU on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day was Lori Hunt from the Parkview Trauma Centre in Fort Wayne, USA, where she has been a protagonist of the "Don't Text and Drive" campaign.

For more information, please see www.itu.int/en/wtisd/Pages/default.aspx