Michelin Australia supports 2012 Fatality Free Friday

Michelin Australia has pledged its support for the 2012 Fatality Free Friday campaign, which aims to achieve no road deaths in Australia on Friday, 25 May 2012. Michelin Australia managing director Thierry Martin said the company is committed to the road safety ethos behind the 2012 FFF campaign, not only for their staff but also the wider community.

“Road safety is a priority for the Michelin Group globally. Addressing the challenge of road safety represents a concrete application of one of Michelin’s core values – respect for people,” said Martin. “As part of our corporate social responsibility commitment, Michelin constantly and actively works to put a halt to this serious problem. Our strategic focus on performance would be meaningless without an ongoing commitment to making roads safer, everywhere around the world. Because of the Group’s international scope and the critical role played by tyres with regard to the mobility of people and merchandise, Michelin feels an obligation to implement and support measures that improve road safety.”

In 2012 alone, Michelin is investing €6 million ($7.7 million) worldwide to support global road safety initiatives. In Australia this includes activities such as its community service programme Fill Up With Air, and the kids driving school they run jointly with Porsche.

Fill Up With Air aims to educate motorists on the importance of maintaining the correct tyre pressure in order to ensure their own safety as well as that of other road users.

The kids’ driving school is a hands-on experience where children learn general road rules in a fun, interactive manner. They are then given the chance to put this into practice, peddling around a miniature road network in their own Porsche to gain a practical understanding of the road rules. Michelin Australia also has policies in place to help protect its workers on the road.

“Every week, more than 7,000 people around the world are killed in work-related traffic accidents, including when they are commuting to and from work,” said Martin. “In Australia we have put in place strict guidelines around travel particularly fatigue management and provide additional training to our employees who spend much of their day on the road. They are offered advanced driver training to give them the skills to handle dangerous or unexpected situations.

“We also discourage the use of mobile phones in the car – regardless of it being hands free or not. We want to remove any unnecessary distractions in the car. If you are behind the wheel we want your focus to be on what is happening around you, not on a conversation you are having on your phone.”

The Michelin Group’s global commitment to road safety was recognized earlier this month in New York where it was received the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

“Michelin is a global leader in road safety innovation not only through its product development but also in the field of care for its own employees,” said His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, Royal Patron of The Commission for Global Road Safety, and added: “But its wider corporate commitment to community safety and international programs is an outstanding example to all businesses.”

Australian Road Safety Foundation Chair Russell White said support of the 2012 Fatality Free Friday campaign from organisations like Michelin Australia was critical in generating awareness of the event and road safety in general.

“We applaud Michelin Australia for standing up and making a commitment to road safety by supporting Fatality Free Friday in 2012,” said White. “Fatality Free Friday puts the emphasis back on the people who can make a real difference –those who use the road. Ultimately, it provides a platform for people to start thinking consciously about driving safely every day of the year.”