China launches Think campaign
The FIA Foundation ‘Think Before You Drive’ initiative has been launched in China by campaign partner, Bridgestone, at an event in Shanghai. Supported by former World Champion, Michael Schumacher, the event highlighted the high number of people killed in road crashes in China. Each year 100,000 people die in vehicle crashes and if nothing is done, this figure is forecast to rise to 500,000 by 2020. The Chinese Government is now making road safety a priority. Last year they created an inter-ministerial State Council and adopted the first road traffic safety law in China. Speaking at the event the Foundation’s Director General, David Ward highlighted the positive experience of industrialized countries in bringing down the number of road deaths. “With the right policies there is nothing to stop China doing the same”. He said. Michael Schumacher, signing a poster in Chinese with the word ‘Safety’, urged drivers in China to wear seat belts, to check their tyres and to use their driving skills not to show off but to protect their passengers and other road users.
Michael Schumacher made the following comments about road safety during the event:
"First of all I believe in campaigns such as this, which transmit a lot of important information to people such as checking your tyre pressures, checking your tyres, wearing your safetybelt, and so on. It’s vital. I have been doing those campaigns together with the FIA already in previous years. I’m very fortunate to be in a position to share my success with many other people in this direction, and use my fame to talk to everybody who likes to listen and who likes to understand my message to look after those things to save your life. Not only save your life, but save the life of your kids, save the life of your passenger. Sometimes it’s just a few seconds that can change your life. In this respect I’m 100% behind all these efforts, these ideas, so I look forward to helping as much as I can."
"It’s natural that you look after yourself. I would be very stupid if I made people believe in something that I don’t do myself. I would never run without a safety belt, I would never put my kids without a safetybelt, nor my passengers. It’s very vital to check your tyres. I think it’s very normal, in particular to me being a race driver. How you store your luggage for example is another very important point, plus the headrest, seat position, and so on. There are many things I look after personally, and again as much as people like to listen and do this in future, I think you can help yourself and other people."
"First of all the biggest message is whoever thinks he is good or a better driver compared to the others, should not use this to show off, but should use it to protect. Running in normal roads, I don’t try to show I’m Michael Schumacher, I drive very carefully, and I drive within the traffic situation, and the environment, and try to protect my people around me rather than put them in danger. I think this is one very important message. The other one is simply to use a little tool which is able to show your tyre pressure and have the ability to check the profile of the tyres, how much tyre you have left on your car, which becomes very vital in the moment of rain and aquaplaning. In this respect just a few seconds, take your time, and you have a lifetime from it afterwards."
This new film from the FIA Foundation looks at the practical and political steps that need to taken to improve road safety across the world.
Watch the Think Global film:
