UNECE/FIBA road safety campaign gains momentum as 2010 FIBA World Championship enters final rounds
Geneva, 8 September 2010 --
The information campaign on road safety launched by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) gains momentum as the Basketball World Championship 2010 enters its final rounds.
The campaign carries the motto “We play and drive by the rules” and has been developed to inform people around the world – especially the young people who are basketball fans or play basketball themselves – and to encourage respect for the rules, on the road as well as on the court.
The “We play and drive by the rules” campaign is organized with the support of the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF), which will host the championship, the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) and the Turkish National Police (TNP), which is in charge of road safety enforcement in the host country.
A “Declaration for road safety” was signed today by officials of UNECE, FIBA, TBF and TNP at a press conference organized at 4 p.m. (Geneva time), just before the start of the first quarter final opposing Serbia and Spain in the Sinan Erdem arena in Istanbul.
Over the past ten days, the players of the teams taking part in the World Championship have signed the Declaration, joining José Calderón, World champion with the Spanish national team, Kerem Tunçeri, of the Turkish national team, and Harun Erdenay, the Turkish Basketball legend, who appear on the campaign material.
Speaking at the press conference together with Bob Elphinston, President of FIBA and
Osman Karakus, Head of the Turkish Traffic Police, Andrey Vasilyev, UNECE Deputy Executive Secretary, said: “As the only existing United Nations intergovernmental body on road safety, UNECE’s work focuses on improving road safety through the development of legal instruments aimed at internationally harmonizing traffic regulations, construction and technical inspection of vehicles, as well as the transport of dangerous goods. These regulations have assisted member States all over the world to harmonize and enforce traffic rules and measures, produce safe and clean road vehicles, reduce the risk of accidents with dangerous goods and hazardous materials and ensure that only safe and well maintained vehicles and competent drivers are allowed to participate in traffic. We are grateful to the leadership of the European and international basketball community for appreciating the importance of road safety and for supporting our efforts to enhance road safety awareness and spreading the road safety message”.
To watch the campaign material, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y95dklqAyeY
Speech by Mr Andrey Vasilyev, please click, http://www.unece.org/trans/events/2010/FIBA2010_RoadSafetyCampaign.html
Ref: ECE/TRANS/10/P13