The FIA Foundation and Bridgestone Corporation have announced cooperation on a global road safety campaign, ‘Think Before You Drive’.
The partnership was revealed at the 75th Geneva International Motor Show by David Ward, Director General of the FIA Foundation; Hiroshi Yamaguchi, a Bridgestone vice president and corporate officer responsible for brand management and product planning; and Max Mosley, President of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
Designed to help reduce road deaths, globally estimated at 1.2 million a year, ‘Think Before You Drive’ will promote simple road safety messages to drivers and car users, focusing on activities, such as using a seat belt and regularly checking tyres, that can reduce the severity of injuries in a crash or even help to prevent a crash occurring.
The campaign will also address many of the key road safety risk factors, including speeding and driving while under the influence of intoxicants. The campaign symbol will be the FIA Foundation’s crash test dummy, who acts as the ‘road safety expert’ in communicating the campaign’s messages.
For Bridgestone Corporation, the campaign is an extension of the tyre safety educational activities that the Bridgestone Group companies globally conduct in Japan, North America, Europe and other regions. For the FIA Foundation, the campaign builds on recent successful seat belt campaigning in Europe and Latin America.
With an official global launch at the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix in Barcelona in May 2005, the ‘Think Before You Drive’ campaign will be rolled out in Europe and then across the world.
Components of the campaign will include:
- Millions of road safety advice leaflets contributed by Bridgestone which will be distributed by campaign partners, including national automobile clubs affiliated to the FIA Foundation;
- Seat belt crash simulators provided by the FIA Foundation which will be in action at the Bridgestone stand at every 2005 European Formula One Grand Prix and at major Motor Shows;
- Millions of tyre gauges for measuring tyre pressure and tread depth which will be distributed to the public at campaign events, by automobile club roadside patrols, Bridgestone outlets and at Formula One Grand Prix races.
Commenting on the campaign, David Ward, Director General of the FIA Foundation, said:
“If more drivers and car occupants followed the simple advice in our campaign - wearing a seat belt, using a child restraint, checking head rests and tyres – thousands of unnecessary injuries and deaths could be prevented. This is the objective of Think Before You Drive”.
Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Bridgestone vice president, said:
“As the world’s leading tyre manufacturer, we are keenly aware of our responsibility to do everything possible to maximize safety. That includes working to acquaint customers with the basics of tyre safety and to sensitize them to the importance of routine tyre inspections. Our Bridgestone Tyre Safety Project, launched in Japan in 2003, is an initiative to enlist customers in the pursuit of tyre safety. Our collaboration with the FIA Foundation is a welcome opportunity to globalize that initiative.”
Welcoming the campaign, Max Mosley, President of the FIA, said:
“I am delighted to support this initiative on behalf of the FIA and as a trustee of the FIA Foundation. So many road deaths and injuries are entirely preventable, either because the crash could have been avoided in the first place or because the injury consequences could have been mitigated by simple safety actions”.
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest manufacturer of tyres and other rubber products. Tyres account for 80 percent of Bridgestone Group sales worldwide. The company also manufactures industrial rubber and chemical products, sporting goods, and other diversified products. It sells its tyres and other products in more than 150 nations.