The Ministry of the Interior has awarded the Silver Road Safety Medal of Merit to the abertis foundation, at the proposal of the Directorate General for Traffic, in recognition of its "special contribution to the improvement of road safety in our country and its firm commitment to road safety values and their dissemination". The First Vice-President of the Government and Interior Minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, presented the award to the President of the Foundation, Miquel Roca i Junyent, at a ceremony held at the Ministry’s headquarters yesterday afternoon.

The abertis foundation is one of the Corporate Social Responsibility commitments made by abertis, an international group which manages transport and telecommunications infrastructures. Since its creation in 1999, the Foundation has developed various activities for the improvement of mobility as part of its Road Safety Programme.

This Programme is divided into four main areas: road education, research, scientific conferences and dissemination and awareness-raising. The activities carried out include the following:

• "You’ve only got one life. Don’t lose it on the road". This was a campaign to raise awareness of the risks involved in driving, particularly in relation to alcohol consumption. Aimed at young drivers aged 18 to 30, it encouraged good driver behaviour through the "culture licence", as well as offering drivers the chance to go on an English course in Ireland. The idea was to link responsible driving to culture and education. The activity was carried out in Catalonia in 2009 and in the Madrid region in 2010 and was backed by various public administrations, private companies and social organisations.
• Road Education Programme in Schools. Under the slogan "Drive your family", the aim was for school children to learn safe habits as pedestrians and future drivers and to pass these good practices on to their parents. Between 2005 and 2008,  101,269 children aged 8 to 12 benefitted from the initiative in Catalonia, Madrid, the Valencia region, Andalusia and Castilla-León. In 2007 the Programme was awarded a prize by the Spanish Association for the Development of Business Patronage (AEDME) for the best business sponsorship and patronage initiative in the education category.
• Research. Promotion of studies relating to mobility and road safety: behaviour of senior drivers on toll roads, education of responsible young drivers, environmentally-friendly, efficient driving and road safety in municipal districts.
• Dissemination. Organisation of technical conferences and seminars in various Spanish regional capitals, as well as the publication of scientific publications.