Bridgestone Urges Motorists: Think Before You Drive

Bridgestone is again urging motorists across the country to “Think Before You Drive”, as its campaign to encourage drivers to check the safety of their tyres enters a third year. In an effort to reduce accidents in the UK, Bridgestone joined forces with the RAC Foundation and FIA Foundation in 2005 to launch the Think Before You Drive campaign – and this year will see more activity than ever before.

“Since the campaign began, we have carried out tens of thousands of free tyre checks across the UK and Europe, in an effort to show drivers just how important their tyres are,” said John McNaught, managing director of Bridgestone UK. “Shockingly, we have found that only 6.5 per cent of vehicles had all four tyres correctly inflated, with at least one in eight cars having at least one tyre significantly under-inflated.”

He explained that the campaign has expanded in 2007 to incorporate the wider environmental issues affected by tyre conditions. John explained: “By running on under-inflated tyres, we have to replace more than 56 million tyres a year across Europe. We also consume 40 per cent more fuel by running on under-inflated tyres, amounting to more than 18 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.”

The campaign’s third year will launch on 21 April to coincide with UN Road Safety Week, with a roadshow event featuring a Formula One car, racing simulator and safety exhibition being held at Kwik-Fit in Northampton. This will be followed by an event at Kingsway Tyres in Peterborough.

“Our network of 170 First Stop dealerships already offers free tyre health checks to motorists,” said John McNaught, “but this is the first year we have also teamed up with Kwik-Fit and Kingsway, ensuring that almost anyone in the country should have access to a free inspection of their tyres as part of Think Before You Drive.”