 Press release 12.9.2009The bikemanship of team Latvia brought victory in FIA European Traffic Education Contest The FIA European Traffic Education Contest took place on Saturday, 12th September, in Turku, Finland. The contest tests the ability of school children to control their bikes as well as their theoretical and practical road safety skills. Latvia won the day. The contest, arranged by FIA, had participants from 21 countries. European-wide, approximately two million children take part in this annual traffic safety campaign. The biking contest includes a mixture of theoretical and practical exercises and tasks. One team consists of two girls and two boys of 10–12 years of age. The European winning team from Latvia consisted of Ruta Baranovska, Ralfs Blums, Ugis Drozds and Krista Ratniece. The team achieved 637 points out of a maximum of 660 points. Latvian team won the competition clearly. The team members received full points in several posts. Their hard training gave good results. ”This is just super! We are surprised and happy for winning. We trained driving in the morning and during lunch break. We have had so much fun at the competition!”, say the children in unison. Czech Republic became second with 616 points and the Russian team was third with the same number of points. Their positions were decided by an additional test. Team of host country Finland got 589 points, and shared 13th with the Swiss team. ”The arrangements were excellent. I like to extend a big thank you to Autoliitto for hosting this year’s contest. However our work is never complete. We encourage our clubs to continue addressing the vital issue of traffic education and expanding their education net” says Peter Doggwiler, Director General Region 1 of FIA. The contest weekend was spiced up by extra-curricular activities: approximately one hundred contestants got to know each other during a sightseeing tour around Turku, a visit to a spa, and a trip on a Finnish steamboat. The FIA European Traffic Education Contest of 2010 will be arranged in Macedonia in September. For more information and photos, please contact: Autoliitto ry, Susanna Suokonautio-Hynninen, tel. +358 40 062 0139, susanna.suokonautio-hynninen(at)autoliitto.fi The European Traffic Education Contest aims to intensify traffic education in every country and thereby contribute to reducing the risk of children becoming involved in accidents on their bicycles. The Contest should encourage motoring and touring clubs to enhance or develop their own traffic education activities in their respective countries. Through this event the media and authorities should be made aware of the importance of this task. The Contest was created in 1986. It is held annually and takes place in September in the country of the host Club. At local, regional or national qualifying events, every participating Club selects a team of two girls and two boys aged between 10 to 12 years. Hence, this Event has the status of a European finale in which a regular 25 countries take part. The Contest takes up one full day, during which the children have to accomplish various theoretical and practical exercises. The best team wins a challenge cup. The contestants are not ranked individually. The Results: 1. LAMB Latvia 637 2. UAMK Czech Republic 616 3. RAS Russia 616 4. LAS Lithuania 614 5. MAK Hungary 613 6. UAB Bulgaria 610 7. BIHAMK Bosnia & Herzegova 604 8. FFCT France 598 9. AMSM Macedonia 594 9. AMSS Serbia 594 11. SATC Slovak Republic 593 12. ÖAMTC Austria 590 13. AL Finland 589 13. TCS Switzerland 589 15. ADAC Germany 585 16. HAK Croatia 579 17. AMZS Slovenia 573 18. NAF Norway 538 19. AMSCG Montenegro 536 20. RACE Spain 498 21. PZM Poland 491 |