The United Nations General Assembly yesterday passed a resolution to proclaim 2011-2020 a Decade of Action for Road Safety aimed at saving five million lives over the next 10 years.

FIA President Jean Todt said: "With the Decade of Action in place, the FIA and its members are proud of this important milestone achieved together with the FIA Foundation and the Make Roads Safe campaign. We are now ready to work towards saving five million lives by 2020, by promoting safer roads, safer vehicles and safer road users."

The debate which took place in New York, saw Michelle Yeoh, the Ambassador of the Commission for Global Road Safety, address the Session as part of the official Malaysian delegation, and give an impassioned plea for action. Michelle Yeoh, together with Commission members Michael Schumacher and Lord Robertson, have played a major role in securing today's landmark achievement.

The UN Resolution specifically notes the efforts of the FIA Foundation for its financial assistance to the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility and praises the advocacy work of the Make Roads Safe campaign.

The resolution requests the UN to prepare a Plan of Action for the Decade and calls upon Member States to implement road safety activities, particularly in the areas of road safety management, road infrastructure, vehicle safety and road user behaviour. They are also invited to set their own national road traffic casualty reduction targets to be achieved by the end of the Decade, in line with the Plan of Action.

The FIA is committed to playing an active role in the implementation of the Decade both through actions at an International level and national level through its member clubs. The UN decision is a strong endorsement of the work of the FIA and its membership who have long campaigned for action to be taken to tackle road safety.

This positive decision by the UN is also testament to the hard work of the FIA Foundation which pioneered the Commission for Global Road Safety and the Make Roads Safe campaign.