Bridgestone’s ‘Become a Road Safety Hero’ campaign highlights need for regular tyre checks
Bridgestone has renewed its plea for motorists to carry out regular tyre checks, after revealing the statistics from its "Become a Road Safety Hero" campaign, featuring more than 1,000 vehicle checks and nearly 4,500 tyre inspections over the course of the year.
The leader in mobility solutions has engaged with drivers in communities across the UK and Ireland across 10 different venues, with 11.7% of tyres from more than 4,500 checked reported as showing ‘notable issues.’
As part of this year’s outreach, Bridgestone’s teams have been engaging with more motorists than ever in a concerted campaign to spread its road safety messages as far and wide as possible. The initiative focused on a diverse audience—from local businesses and young drivers to general car owners attending events—and reinforces the company’s commitment to road safety through active engagement.
The British Motor Show, Roadchef Norton Canes M6 Toll Services and Coventry University were just some of the venues visited by Bridgestone’s tyre checking teams in recent months, as Bridgestone reinforces its commitment to road safety through active engagement.
Initial data has revealed that 11.7% of tyres inspected had ‘notable’ issues. Within this group, 9.7% required advisories for tread or pressure, while 8% of tyres inspected were deemed illegal and in urgent need of attention. This effort supports recent statistics from TyreSafe.org, which estimate that over 6.1 million illegal tyres are currently on UK roads.
The findings align with Bridgestone’s research earlier this year1, which revealed that a large number of drivers were neglecting tyre safety checks. Results revealed that 35% of drivers admitted to never considering checking their tyres, with half unaware of the legal tread depth limit.
Additionally, Bridgestone UK & Ireland employees have contributed to the company’s ‘One Million Minutes’ volunteering campaign, spending their time delivering tyre checks and safety education to promote awareness and encourage safer driving practices, to support their volunteering goals of contributing to local communities.
Andrea Manenti, Vice President of Bridgestone North, said: “Our team’s dedication to raising tyre safety awareness has been incredible and if we had one message to motorists following on from this, it would be to inspect their tyres more regularly, as it really can be the difference between life and death. By engaging with a wide range of drivers across age groups, we are making strides to ensure safer roads and encourage everyone to check their tyres regularly. Every driver has the power to ‘Become a Bridgestone Road Safety Hero’, and an important part of this campaign is asking those we meet to pass the message on.”
The Bridgestone UK & Ireland team remains committed to their journey across the UK, meeting drivers face-to-face and reinforcing their message of proactive safety. These ongoing efforts reflect Bridgestone’s mission to enhance road safety and prevent accidents through education and action.
Bridgestone’s ‘Become a Road Safety Hero’ campaign 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 areas (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 tyre checking outputs provide 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 about tyre safety and ways to stay safe on roads, visit https://promotion.bridgestone.co.uk/bridgestone-tyre-care-guide/
ENDS
1. Research carried out online by Research Without Barriers (January 2024) 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).
Media information: For more information about this press release, or if you have any more questions, please call Ben Smallman at Ben Smallman PR on +44 (0) 7833 463195 or email ben@bensmallmanpr.com. Alternatively, please contact Helen Roe at helen.roe@bridgestone.eu
About Bridgestone in Europe, the Middle East and Africa
Bridgestone in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Bridgestone EMEA) is the regional Strategic Business Unit of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader in tyres and sustainable mobility solutions.
Headquartered in Zaventem (Belgium), Bridgestone EMEA employs more than 14,000 people and conducts business in 35 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 EMEA, please visit our newsroom and www.bridgestone.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn.