AA’s Edmund King to receive OBE
In the New Year 2016 Honours List, Edmund King, AA president, was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for ‘services to road safety’ and will be presented with the award at Buckingham Palace on Friday 13 May 2016.
Edmund King has worked across road safety in different roles for motoring organisations, road safety charities and think tanks for the last 25 years.
As well as being AA president, King is also chairman and a Trustee of The AA Charitable Trust for Road Safety and the Environment and a Visiting Professor of Transport at Newcastle University.
Commenting on the award of the honour, Edmund King OBE, said, ‘I am delighted to be going to Buckingham Palace with my mother and family to be presented with this award. Even some five months after the announcement I am still utterly thrilled, honoured, humbled and somewhat surprised to have been awarded an OBE. I am particularly pleased that the award was made for ‘services to road safety’ as I am passionate about making our roads safer and saving lives.
‘I have been overwhelmed by the messages of support I received in the past few months from an array of past and present colleagues and contacts I have worked with in the UK and internationally.
‘As I said at the time, this award also reflects the efforts of my present and past colleagues and road safety partners and organisations I have worked with over the years.
‘For example, the inspiration for our successful global Think Bikes campaign came from former AA patrol of the year, Tony Rich. Much of my involvement with international road safety has been in association with Saul Billingsley of the FIA Foundation. My current team at the AA are totally dedicated to improving road safety and I thank them for their help.
‘In the UK we have made great advances in road safety over the last twenty years but there is still much more to do when five people are killed on the roads every day. I will continue to do all that I can to work to make our roads safer.’
