FIA Acadamy honours Bridgestone's safety campaign

Bridgestone's Think Before You Drive Campaign, part of its continued efforts towards road safety, has been recognised by the FIA Academy, a body that is made up of eight senior members of the FIA and its national automobile clubs.

The FIA Academy's 2006 World Prize for Road Safety, the Environment and Mobility has been awarded to Bridgestone primarily for its Think Before You Drive Campaign. Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, presented the trophy to Shoshi Arakawa, the President and CEO of Bridgestone Corporation, at the FIA Awards Gala on Friday night.

“I'm extremely pleased and proud to accept this prestigious award on behalf of Bridgestone," said Arakawa. "Since 2005, we have teamed up with the FIA Foundation to actively promote road safety through the Think Before You Drive campaign, which has been conducted in almost 80 countries successfully."

"We are continuously pursuing our road safety initiatives for the future, emphasising Bridgestone 's commitment to safety and contributing to the global goal of reducing the number of road deaths and casualties.”

Max Mosley, FIA President, said: "Bridgestone's commitment to the development and promotion of road safety makes them a worthy recipient of the FIA World Prize for its work in this field. We look forward to continuing our campaign partnership as the FIA and the FIA Foundation seek to progress improvements in road safety around the world."

The Think Before You Drive campaign, launched in 2005, has reached every region of the world and is backed by FIA member clubs from more than 60 countries. It identifies the main causes of serious or fatal crashes, urging motorists to implement simple safety measures before they drive.

These safety messages have been promoted by major motor sport personalities including seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher and fellow F1 drivers Rubens Barrichello and Mark Webber.