The Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards are presented to companies or organisations around the world in recognition of their contribution to improving road safety.

Peggie Mars, founder of Wheel Well, and Charmaine van Wyk, public relations manager of Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire, received the award which was held at the Annual Awards Luncheon Ceremony at The Savoy, in London on Tuesday, 13 December.

For nearly 30 years, Prince Michael of Kent has played a role in supporting improved road safety around the world. The Prince established his awards scheme in 1987 in the United Kingdom and now fully international, the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards recognise achievement and innovation in road safety worldwide.

Each year, the most outstanding examples of international road safety initiatives are given public recognition through the scheme and the winners are invited to a gala presentation held in London, where the Prince announces his Premier Award for that year.

Van Wyk says, “We are tremendously proud that Prince Michael of Kent has approved the recommendation of the judging panel that Wheel Well and Bakwena should receive an award. The judges assessed the programme to be a significant contributor to child safety and one which could be replicated elsewhere. The award is a rare privilege for a South African road safety initiative.” She attributes Bakwena’s support for the campaign to the high rate of infant deaths from road accidents. According to the most recent Medical Research Council study, released in 2013, road accidents cause around one-third of non-natural, or injury-related deaths among under-fives in South Africa.

The Annual Awards Luncheon Ceremony, attended by about three hundred people and special guests, included leading road safety professionals.

“This award will do wonders for the efforts of Wheel Well to raise awareness for child road safety,” adds Mars. Wheel Well is the only non-profit organisation to focus exclusively on road safety for children in South Africa. Its objective is to raise awareness, educate and affect changes and the enforcement of legislation on issues surrounding road safety pertaining to children both in and around the vehicle.

Car seats are collected by way of public donation. As the history of each car seat is unknown, Mars explains that all seats are completely dismantled and each component washed thoroughly with a bio-degradable, non-allergenic disinfectant. The seats are simultaneously safety-checked for defects or damage that affects their functionality, and thereafter correctly re-assembled and if necessary re-upholstered. In the case of seats that do not meet the minimum standard, they are rejected, stripped of components that can still be used as spares for other seats, and the unusable parts are recycled.

“The ‘Car Seats for Kids’ campaign encourages parents to donate their used car seats to Wheel Well, which then restores them and verifies that they still meet safety standards. Thereafter, they are provided to less fortunate families for a minimum/nominal donation. The campaign will not let money stand in the way of a child’s safety, therefore there is no prescribed donation,” concludes van Wyk.

For more information, visit www.wheelwell.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.