Schumi urges Bahrain to think

The Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix kicks off the 2006 Formula One World Championship Season on March 10-12. Yet even before the action begins, the sport’s governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), joined the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF) and Bridgestone to announce the Kingdom of Bahrain as the latest nation to join its ‘Think Before You Drive’ global road safety campaign to invited media guests and VIP’s.

Under the patronage of His Highness the Crown Prince and President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khailfa joined seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher on a panel of six to unveil the launch of this safety campaign in Bahrain. The media came out in force to see these two old friends reunited in a cause that will hopefully save the lives of thousands of people a day, worldwide.

The launch, held at the University of Bahrain, was attended by over 50 VIP guests and dignitaries from the Kingdom of Bahrain and around the world in addition to over 100 international and regional media which prized themselves away from the action at the BIC.

Joining His Highness and Michael Schumacher on the top table was David Ward, Director General of the FIA Foundation, Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of the Interior, Shaikh Abdulla Bin Isa Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Motor Federation and Yujiro Kanahara from Bridgestone.

Michael was once again excited to be in Bahrain and to be able to help in such a valiant cause saying “I always love coming to Bahrain and it makes my visit even more special when I can give something back to the people. The Think Before You Drive Campaign is one of great importance throughout the world and we have made people aware of the simple messages already in a lot of other countries. I’m convinced the Kingdom of Bahrain will also benefit greatly from such a program. The launch of this prior to the Formula-One-race makes perfect sense as the eyes of the world will be firmly focused upon Bahrain International Circuit for the next four days.”

Think Before You Drive is a global road safety initiative of the FIA Foundation, supported by Bridgestone Corporation and affiliated motoring organizations such as the BMF.

The Think Before You Drive Campaign aims to promote safe driving behaviour and to raise awareness about road safety, locally and internationally.

The campaign promotes simple road safety messages:
*Highlighting actions that take a few seconds but could save your life

*Identifying the main causes of serious or fatal crashes.

An estimated 1.2 million people around the world are killed on the roads each year – 3000 a day. The FIA and Bridgestone hope to dramatically reduce the number of deaths caused by road accidents each year and the Kingdom of Bahrain, through the guidance of the BMF and the support of the Bahrain International Circuit, is at the forefront of this initiative.

His Highness the Crown Prince is extremely supportive of the whole campaign and commented; “Traffic safety in the Kingdom of Bahrain is a very important issue that requires great attention and concern from everybody. Traffic statistics point to 3 fatal cases per 10,000 cars in Bahrain. Although this figure has been decreasing, our aim is to reduce it even more, to 1 per 10,000, in the next five years. The Kingdom of Bahrain supports motor-sports, and requires that all motor sport activities be practiced in their designated areas, and not on public roads. People are required to follow traffic laws and regulations, which have been set to ensure the safety of all road users. I hope this national campaign will achieve its desired goals, and I hope that everyone will take part and cooperate to ensure its success. "