MICHELIN SIGNS THE GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY COMMITMENT

Every year, 1.3 million people around the world die in road accidents and unless public authorities and private organisations take significant, coordinated action quickly, road accidents will become the world’s fifth-leading cause of mortality by 2030.

The Michelin Group has been dedicated to improving road safety for more than 40 years and this confirms its continued commitment with the goal of promoting safer, sustainable road mobility.

For more than 120 years, Michelin’s primary focus has been on providing customers with safe, reliable tyres that help reduce fuel consumption while ensuring optimal safety performance and unrivaled longevity. In addition to its tyres and their performance, Michelin has also pledged to raise public awareness of best road safety actions and practices, both directly at its production facilities and sales offices and in the cities, regions and countries where it operates. In addition, the Group supports international initiatives, such as the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety.

One tangible action Michelin is taking is the Fill Up With Air campaign that was launched in Europe in 2003. This campaign has been recently introduced on other continents including Australia to educate drivers about the importance of maintaining correct tyre pressure in order to ensure their own safety as well as that of other road users.

Most recently the Fill Up With Air team visited Centro Brandon Park where they helped drivers of nearly half the cars they checked to improve the safety of their vehicles.

Another action is the ROSYPE ( ROad Safety for Young People in Europe) program, which was launched in 2009 to raise road safety awareness among 730,000 young Europeans. Its purpose is to modify the behavior of young people – the demographic most at risk of accidents. It also targets workers, including Michelin employees, who drive as a part of their job. One-third of all road accidents involve work-related travel.

Michelin also supports programs launched by the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), in particular its five-year pilot projects introduced in China, the ASEAN countries, India and Brazil.

“Meeting the challenge of road safety not only through tyre innovations but also through community involvement is tangible proof of one of our fundamental values, which is respect for people,” said Jean-Dominique Senard, Managing Partner of the Michelin Group.

The 11th Michelin Challenge Bibendum, to be held from 18 to 22 May in Berlin is another example of the Group’s commitment to sustainable – and especially safer – road mobility. Dedicated to promoting road mobility that is responsible the event will bring together 6,000 guests and more than 15,000 visitors, providing a real-life demonstration of Michelin’s values in action.