The Civil Engineering as a professional group, the Gold Medal of the Road 2003

The award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, June 11

The Minister of Public Works will collect the Portugal international award

Seven policemen and two members of the Red Cross, among the decorated

Madrid, June 9 2003.- According to the latest data provided by the General Directorate of Traffic, road accidents last year fell almost 3% over the previous. The figures show that for the second consecutive year, has decreased the number of dead (-2,9%), the number of serious injuries (-5%) and minor injuries (-2,1%).

What the statistics do not show, however, and therefore not usually news is the number of accident victims who manages to save the life thanks to the intervention of the Red Cross teams or patrols of the Civil Guard; thanks also to the effective work of maintenance crews, those responsible for traffic management or those who plan, plan and construct roads.

In recognition of all those men and women who day after day, often anonymously, working to make our roads safer, the Spanish Road Association (AEC) awarded every year since 1966, the Medals of Honor Highway.

In this new edition, the Civil Engineering and collectively receive the Gold Medal, the highest distinction awarded by the AEC. Effective work and continued all professionals and institutions that make up the sector (associations, colleges, schools ...) has determined the granting of this award, whose delivery coincides, not coincidentally, with the celebration of some key dates for the Civil engineering.

Thus, in this year 2003 the bicentenary is commemorated in Madrid of the first School of Civil Engineering, channels and ports of our country; the 150º anniversary of the Journal of Public Works, the centenary of the Association of Civil Engineers, Channels and Ports and 50 birthday College of Civil Engineers.

Another of the stars of this event will be the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Housing of Portugal, António Pedro Carmona Rodrigues, who has been awarded the International Medal. Carmona receives this award for the contribution of his Government to improve communications between Spain and Lusitania, and between France and the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe.

Medals are also a public recognition of the value and the delivery of those professionals in their daily work beyond the pure line of duty. As Joaquín José Flores, a member of the Traffic Civil Guard, the 2 February last year was patrolling when he saw a car traveling in the opposite direction. Faced with this danger, and without thinking of the risk he was taking, Flores started the persecution of the offending vehicle, climbed to the car door, which was still running, put his hand out the window to the ignition key and turned off the engine, making the car, whose driver was in a high state of intoxication, was finally stopped without anyone getting hurt.

But maintain safety on the road is not always a story with a happy ending. The Guardia Francisco Jose Garcia died last February while was helping the occupants of a car that had hit a wall. Another car, he could not stop in time, rammed him with fatal outcome. That day, Francis Joseph was at home off duty, but his sense of duty made him come to the aid of victims.

11 next Wednesday, Joaquín José Flores, Francisco José García, posthumously, and five other members of the Civil Guard Traffic will receive the Medal of Honor Highway as a public recognition of his work.

This event will also be awarded two volunteer Red Cross members: Joseph Maria Mayol, Tarragona, and Angel Llauger, Calella (Barcelona). Mayol takes 15 years as an ambulance driver and Llauger, now retired, has spent more than 30 years of his life to help victims of accidents as Chief of Detachment. Both have shown their dedication responding to any time and day to emergency calls.

But there are other ways to contribute to road safety which, though less striking, are equally valuable. Therefore, the AEC also recognizes and appreciates these Medals of Honor the effort of all people engaged in planning and management of infrastructure, construction and maintenance, or traffic management: menders, conservation staff, technicians laboratory, foremen, foremen, Traffic ...

In addition, three medals are awarded with Special Mention, which on this occasion were awarded to: Francisco Achútegui Viada, Head of the Real Scale Assessment and the Center for Studies and Experimentation of Public Works (Cedex); Antonio Aguilar Mediavilla, Deputy Public Works and Urbanism of the Provincial Council of Alava, and, posthumously, Juan Carlos Sanchez Bunting, Head of Construction of Highways of the Community of Madrid.

In total 44 Medals of Honor awarded, either individually either collectively.

Among the winners, El Rey
King Juan Carlos I is undoubtedly the highlight of the winners of the Gold Medal of the Road. Last April, Don Juan Carlos received at the Zarzuela Palace a delegation of the ACS headed by its president, Victor Montes, who presented on behalf of the entire institution representing the Gold Medal to His Majesty the King.

Throughout the nearly four decade history of these medals that the Spanish Road Association promotes and organizes more than a thousand people and institutions have received the award in different categories. Among them, the President of the European Commission, Loyola de Palacio; Robert O. Swain, President of the International Road Federation (IRF); former Ministers of Public Works, Gonzalo Fernandez de la Mora and Federico Silva Muñoz; Spanish Red Cross or the Traffic Civil Guard.

The winners were selected by a specific committee from more than a hundred proposals made by various organizations linked to the road: Public Administration (Directorate General of Highways Ministry of Development and the Autonomous Communities, Provincial Councils, Town Councils and Councils island; DGT ...), universities, training and research centers, industry associations and private companies.

CEREMONY OF THE MEDALS OF HONOR OF CARRETERA'2003

Date: Wednesday, June 11 2003
Time: 12,00 hours
Place: College of Civil Engineers, Canals and Ports (Almagro, 42 - Madrid). Betancourt room

Chair: Victor Montes, President of the Spanish Road Association

guests:
· Antonio Alonso Burgos, Director General of Highways
· Santiago Lopez Valdivielso, Director General of the Civil Guard
· Carlos Muñoz-Repiso, Director General of Traffic
· Carlos Payá Riera, vice president of the Spanish Red Cross
· Edelmiro Rua Alvarez, Director of the School of Civil Engineering, Channels and Ports of Madrid
· Felipe Ruiz Nogales, president of the Association of Technical Engineers of Public Works
· Clemente Sáenz Ridruejo, President of the National Association of Civil Engineers, Channels and Ports
· Juan Miguel Villar Mir, President of the College of Civil Engineering, Channels and Ports