Formula One racing’s governing body the FIA has joined forces with renowned filmmaker Luc Besson to produce a hard-hitting film designed to promote children’s road safety around the world.
Entitled ‘Save Kids Lives’, the film, which is supported by the FIA Foundation, is released worldwide today to coincide with International Walk to School Day, an initiative launched to raise awareness of the need to protect some of societies most vulnerable road users.
According to World Health Organisation figures, 500 children are killed each day in road crashes globally.
In a bid to raise awareness of this road safety crisis, Jean Todt, President of the FIA and Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Road Safety, turned to Besson to deliver a potent visual message highlighting the dangers facing children around the world.
Shot on location in South Africa and Paris, France, the film shows the risks children are confronted with on a daily basis, whether through the lack of safe infrastructure in the townships of South Africa or as a result of the heavy traffic of a major European city.
The film is a shocking wake-up call, but it is one Jean Todt believes will help focus attention on making roads safe for children everywhere.
“Road traffic crashes are today the number one killer of children aged 15-29. And without urgent action, they will soon be the number one killer of those aged between 5-14,” said Jean Todt. “We must do everything in our power to halt this scourge and this film can act as a rallying call.”
For Besson, the opportunity to contribute to the quest for improved road safety was impossible to resist.
The film is being released in support of the #SaveKidsLives campaign, an initiative launched for the third UN Road Safety Week focused on child safety, which ran from May 4-10, 2015. #SaveKidsLives calls for action to stop the growing number of road deaths worldwide and for decision makers to save children’s lives by putting road safety measures in place.
Everyone is invited to sign the online Child Declaration, with the goal of reaching 1,000,000 signatures already nearly achieved.
