•The event, conducted by the Abertis Foundation's president, Elena Salgado, was a key meeting point for leaders, experts and professionals committed to road safety and mobility, like the Director-General for Traffic, Pere Navarro, as well as some of the partners and institutions that have supported the Foundation's work over the years, such as UNICEF Spain and the Polytechnic University of Madrid through the Abertis Chairs programme.

•Speakers addressed the road safety and innovation challenges that companies, administrations and society alike have faced over the last few years, during which the Abertis Foundation has strengthened its collaboration through strategic alliances.

5th June 2024.- 'Road Safety and Innovation, 25 years of the Abertis Foundation' has kicked off a series of events that are going to be held throughout the year to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this Abertis-owned organisation. Elena Salgado, the Abertis Foundation's president, conducted the event, which served as a key meeting point for leaders, experts and professionals committed to road safety and mobility, like the Director-General for Traffic, Pere Navarro. It also featured prominent speakers and representatives of the main institutions that have formed part of the Foundation ever since it was set up in 1999, such as José María Vera, the executive director of UNICEF Spain, José Manuel Vassallo, international coordinator of the Abertis Chairs Network and professor at Madrid Polytechnic University, and Sebas Lorente, publicist of the Abertis Foundation's road safety education programme "Tenemos que repetir" ("Let's do it again").

As she presented the event, the Foundation's president Elena Salgado underscored that "The Abertis Foundation was created to accompany Abertis in its relationship with the different countries where it is present, connecting with civil society. This 25th anniversary is an important milestone for us, and fills us with pride as we look back on the successful path that we have followed, and the strategic alliances we have forged and have enabled us to improve the quality of life of the people in the regions where we operate".

All the speakers addressed the road safety and innovation challenges that companies, administrations and society alike have faced over the last few years, during which the Abertis Foundation has strengthened its collaboration through strategic alliances.

The Director-General for Traffic, Pere Navarro, spotlighted a major achievement: “Spain’s road accident rate has dropped by more than 70% over the last 25 years, and this has been thanks to the commitment we have made as a country, both in the public and private sectors, to improve infrastructures, vehicles and driving behaviour... which have directly impacted on this drop in fatalities. Today we are here to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Abertis Foundation, a fine example of this commitment and of the public-private partnership whose initiatives have boosted road safety knowledge not only in our country, but has also had an impact on many others".

“Children and young people are entitled to a safe and healthy environment, including when they travel to school, to their homes and to their community every day. Yet every two minutes, a child or teenager somewhere in the world dies from a traffic accident. That's more than 200,000 a year, making it the leading cause of death in children and young people aged 5 to 19 years globally. Since 2017, we have been working hand in hand with the Abertis Foundation to make up for the lack of infrastructure in school zones and help drivers and pedestrians alike to behave better. UNICEF Spain's Executive Director, José María Vera explained: Our partnership has helped ensure safer mobility for 267,000 children and young people in Brazil, Jamaica and the Philippines. Now, we are engaged in further projects in Brazil, while developing new projects in India and Mexico".

Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO's Department of Social Determinants of Health, said: "I would like to congratulate the Abertis Foundation for its important work in road safety focusing on proven interventions, its efforts to ensure safe infrastructure around schools, advocate for comprehensive road safety laws and improve driver behaviour". Governments, international agencies, academia, foundations and the private sector need to help design actions to halve road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030”.

The event's other participants included Daniel Vilanova, general manager of Autopistas España, the head of innovation at Abertis, Antonio Durán, and the CEO of Aren, Ali Khaloo, the startup that won the first 'Drone Challenge' launched by the Abertis Foundation.

The event was conducted by Carlos García-Hirschfeld, a journalist specialising in road safety and mobility.

A silver anniversary

In addition to today's event in Madrid, the Foundation has planned several cultural events with the Network of Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves based at the UNESCO International Centre located in Castellet Castle, the Abertis Foundation's headquarters, which will be opening its doors to the public and organising new visits on the occasion of this anniversary. It has also totally revamped its web to mark its anniversary.

This year the Foundation celebrates a quarter of a century contributing to the sustainable development of the regions where Abertis operates. The Foundation embodies Abertis' commitment to society through partnerships with national and international entities alike, and pays special attention to organisations that engage in promoting road safety-related education and health schemes.

• Press release