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04/12/2010

Estoril, Portugual- The Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) honored Greig Craft, President of the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation, with the FIM Road Safety Award at their annual gala awards ceremony in Portugal. Craft accepted the award on behalf of the Global Helmet Vaccine Initiative, an international coalition of road safety stakeholders with the goal of putting a "helmet on every head in the Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020)."

"This is the first road safety award ever made by the FIM and reflects our concern about the global crisis arising from road traffic crashes," said Vito Ippolito, FIM President. "AIP Foundation's pioneering achievements in the area of child helmet use, and especially its innovation and creation of the affordable 'tropical' helmet, have demonstrated unparalleled leadership and solutions."

"Traffic fatalities are predicted to increase 80% by 2020," said Craft. "Helmets can act as a 'vaccine' against the epidemic of road traffic crashes, as they reduce the likelihood of death by 42% and of serious injury by 69%."

The Global Helmet Vaccine Initiative was founded in 2009 by the AIP Foundation, FIA Foundation, and World Bank Global Road Safety Facility with the goal of bringing successful models for road safety programs to developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.