Bridgestone urge drivers to ‘Become a Road Safety Hero’ after passing on tyre safety messages
A unique tactic towards tyre safety has helped Bridgestone spread the message to hundreds of motorists across October, featuring a traditional method of communication to grab everyone’s attention.
To coincide with Tyre Safe’s National Tyre Safety Month, the Bridgestone team offered free tyre safety checks and hand-delivered postcards to drivers in the UK and Ireland, in a novel approach to provide a simple way to highlight the importance of tyres to stay road-safe.
The postcards were designed to emphasise the importance of checking tyres and highlight that each vehicle has only four contact patches with the road and they featured safety tips and maintenance advice for future reference.
Bridgestone spoke to hundreds of motorists at Roadchef’s Norton Caines Services on the M6 Toll in Staffordshire on October 19th, with free safety checks carried out throughout the day. In Ireland, the company carried out the same activity at ‘Japfest’ in Mondello Park, where they encouraged young drivers to get into the habit of checking their tyres regularly.
In total, hundreds of tyres were checked and Bridgestone is now exploring opportunities to expand on this activity in 2024.
Bridgestone’s North Region Vice President Andrea Manenti said: “October is Tyre Safe month and we know from data that Tyre Safe that up to 10 million tyres, (1 in 4)2 are estimated to be illegal in the UK. This is a shocking statistic and we know from data released by TyreSafe that the result of this can lead to life-changing accidents and in some cases, fatalities. That is why we are urging drivers to check their tyres and also pass the message on to their friends and loved ones.The postcards certainly made their mark on those we spoke to, and it was uplifting to be able to engage with so many of them during the two events.
“We got the sense that motorists do care, and understand the importance of regular tyre checks, but either don’t know what to look for or think that it will take them too long. The reality is that it only takes a minute to conduct a simple check and it’s a straightforward task.
“We were able to show motorists how to check their tyres, whilst reminding them of the implications of driving on defective or illegal products, which not only puts their safety in jeopardy, but can also lead to fines, penalty points and even a loss of licence.”
The activity coincided with a recent tyre safety survey from Bridgestone, which revealed that 81% of drivers never check their tyres and only 14% described them as the most important safety feature on their cars1.
Other headline statistics from Bridgestone’s research included 54% not knowing that driving on illegal tyres was an extremely dangerous act, only 31% of motorists admitting to being well informed on road safety matters. In addition, just 12% check their tyre treads once a fortnight, which is the recommended period.
Andrea added: “It is always nice to meet motorists and engage with them in new ways, which we were able to do at the M6 Norton Caines Services and also at Japfest in Ireland. We will be following up with more events like these in the future, with more innovative ways to interact with motorists.”
Bridgestone’s road safety activity represents part of its mission to continue to provide social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company. It also embodies Bridgestone’s E8 Commitment – a set of eight commitments (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, Empowerment) which provide a compass to guide their strategic priorities, decision making and actions throughout every area of the business and operations.
Bridgestone’s road safety activity provides Ease, by bringing comfort and peace of mind to mobility life and Extension, by committing to nonstop mobility and innovation that keeps people and the world moving ahead.
For more information and advice about tyre safety, including access to the digital version of the postcard for people to pass on to their loved ones visit https://promotion.bridgestone.co.uk/bridgestone-tyre-care-guide/.
ENDS
1. Research carried out online by Research Without Barriers (February 2023) comprising 2,000 UK car owners. All research conducted adheres to the UK Market Research Society (MRS) code of conduct (2019). RWB is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and complies with the DPA (2018).
2. Tyresafe.org 2023 Stats Tyre Safety the Case for Action
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For more information about this press release, or if you have any more questions, please call Ben Smallman at Ben Smallman PR on 07833 463195 or email ben@bensmallmanpr.com
About Bridgestone in Europe, Middle East, India and Africa
Bridgestone in Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa (Bridgestone EMIA) is the regional Strategic Business Unit of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader in tyres and sustainable mobility solutions.
Headquartered in Zaventem (Belgium), Bridgestone EMIA employs more than 20,000 people and conducts business in 40 countries across the region.
Bridgestone offers a diverse portfolio of premium tyres, tyre technologies and advanced mobility solutions. The company’s vision is to provide social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company. The Bridgestone E8 Commitment is a broad, global corporate commitment that clearly defines the value the company is promising to deliver to society, our customers and future generations in eight focus areas; Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease and Empowerment. These provide a compass to guide strategic priorities, decision making and actions throughout every area of the business.
For more information about Bridgestone in EMIA, please visit www.bridgestone-emia.com and press.bridgestone-emia.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.