The parents of a British-Australian man killed in a road accident during last year’s controversial European Games in Baku have called on Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One’s governing body to do more to improve road safety in the city before its first grand prix in June.
The race will take place almost a year after 23-year-old Micah Maxwell-Milne, who was working for the company staging the opening and closing ceremonies at the European Games, was killed after the Mercedes in which he was travelling collided with a Ford Transit in central Baku. Three other technicians involved in the same incident were airlifted to Turkey with serious injuries.
Azerbaijan has one of the worst road safety records in Europe and Micah’s mother, Jennifer Maxwell-Milne, said Formula One and the FIA had a duty to try to do something about the situation.
“Bernie Ecclestone, the Azerbaijan government and all Formula One stakeholders owe it to the fans and people of Azerbaijan to do more to ensure the safety of the many thousands of visitors to Baku this year,” she said. “We have been told that driving licences are for sale on the streets of Baku. Surely more must be done to protect those travelling to Azerbaijan this summer.”
The FIA runs a range of road safety programmes and says on its website it is “dedicated to improving the safety of everyday road users throughout the world”.
An FIA spokesman said that the organisation’s president, Jean Todt, serves as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety. “In that capacity, he plans to hold meetings with Azeri government officials to encourage them to make road safety a priority and sign-up to the relevant UN conventions governing road traffic,” he said.
“While the key responsibility for road safety lies with governments, the FIA campaign also encourages motorists to follow the rules of the road and be respectful of other road users. The campaign is promoted in all FIA Championships, including Formula One, through key trackside messaging, and also by the drivers themselves.” .
According to the World Health Organisation, the reported number of road traffic deaths in Azerbaijan is 1,256 a year – a rate of 10 per 100,000 of the population. In the UK, the equivalent figure is 2.9 per 100,000.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office website warns: “Many cars are poorly maintained and the standard of driving is erratic. Accidents are common, mainly due to poor or reckless driving and inconsistent enforcement of traffic rules.”
An inquest into Maxwell-Milne’s death recorded a verdict of death by road traffic collision and the driver of the Transit was sentenced to nine years in prison following a criminal trial. Maxwell-Milne’s parents are also taking civil action against the company that employed the driver of the van.
Jennifer Maxwell-Milne said she had appealed to the Azerbaijani first lady, Mehriban Aliyeva, to try to force action over road safety in her son’s name but had heard nothing back.
“I have tried to appeal to the first lady. My son died on her streets. My son died working for her event. The only reason he was there was for that. I’ve sent her letters twice, we’ve heard nothing,” she said.
Her late son, who had dual British and Australian citizenship, had worked on seven Olympic ceremonies and was also a production co-ordinator for Harvey Goldsmith Productions in the UK.
His mother praised the UK embassy for their assistance but was critical of the Azerbaijani government and the European Olympic Committee, the organisation behind the European Games that is led by the Irish International Olympic Committee member Patrick Hickey.
“The Azeri authorities offered no help whatsoever and neither did the European Olympic Committee,” she said.
The inaugural European Games last June were mired in controversy. The death of Maxwell-Milne came only days after three Austrian synchronised swimmers were seriously injured when an official Games shuttle bus knocked them down just before the opening ceremony.
The president, Ilham Aliyev, spent billions staging the multi-sport event, including underwriting the costs of competing countries, but any boost in the country’s profile was negated by coverage of an accompanying crackdown on civil liberties in which scores of critical journalists, activists and lawyers were imprisoned.
Several prominent prisoners of conscience have recently been released, including the lawyer Intigam Aliyev and the human rights campaigners Leyal and Arif Yunus. Others, including the investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, remain in prison. The Guardian was banned from covering the Games as a result of highlighting the associated human rights crackdown.
As well as its inaugural grand prix in June, Azerbaijan will host matches during the continent-wide Euro 2020 football tournament. Asked last year about the addition of Baku to the Formula One calendar, Ecclestone said: “Baku? No problem. That’s going to be another good race.”
Asked about the human rights situation, Ecclestone said: “I think everybody seems to be happy. Doesn’t seem to be any big problem there.”
