Michelin steers society to safety with new campaigns in China

Michelin steers society to safety with new campaigns in China

by | Nov 11, 2023 | News & Blog

Being a tyre maker always committed to improving its products, Michelin says it makes safety a firm focus. The company has issued its “Michelin China Road Safety Manifesto” in Beijing, along with the launch of the Michelin 2011 Road Safety Campaign themed “Safety, One Step Forward”. As part of this, it launched a series of activities aimed at mobilizing concrete action for the improvement of road safety in China.

 

“Michelin’s mission is to make a contribution to the sustainable mobility of humans and goods, and safety is one of the core values of sustainable mobility,” said Yves Chapot, president of Michelin (China) Investment Co Ltd.

“In addition to innovative tires that ensure people’s safe commuting, Michelin has also been actively raising public awareness of road safety through education programs in cooperation with various Chinese authorities and organizations. The Michelin 2011 Safety Campaign is another big step forward in our continuous efforts toward road safety for better mobility.”

In recent years, as more people can afford automobiles and other means of transportation in developing countries and emerging economies including China, the potential for danger has increased.

According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization, in May, road traffic accidents kill 1.3 million and injure 50 million people every year around the world, and 90 percent of those killed are in developing countries. Moreover, road accidents have become the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29.

In China, according to the Ministry of Public Security, 238,351 road traffic accidents killed 67,759 and injured 275,125 people in 2009, causing direct property loss of 910 million yuan ($140 million). Illegal driving, excessively fast driving, poor vehicle condition, intoxicated driving, driving while tired and poor safety awareness are the six major causes of accidents.

In light of these statistics, Chapot pledged that Michelin China would appeal to all of its employees, business partners and customers to observe safety principles and take the lead in shouldering responsibility for creating a better and safer road transportation environment.

In the months ahead, Michelin will hold a “China Road Safety Pioneer Talk” every month, “Road Safety in School” programs and “I Will” safety vow program, targeting the major causes of road accidents and vulnerable groups of people in order to educate and train the public about safety.

Meanwhile, Michelin also released China’s first handbook for tire and road safety in three tailor-made versions for passenger car drivers, truck and bus drivers, and elementary school students.

Chapot said that Michelin will also play an active role in the “China Road Accident In-depth Research” project hosted by China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) this year, providing exclusive technical support from the tire industry.

This program will undertake deep analysis and research into the major causes of traffic accidents in five big cities in China, providing important information to help road traffic authorities in their decision-making.

“Through Michelin’s years of focus and dedicated efforts regarding road safety, we have found we share the same mission and passion. As a technical administration body in the auto industry and the technical support organization for the Chinese government, CATARC fully understands that maintaining road safety requires the common participation and common action of the whole of society,” said Zhao Hang, director of CATARC.

For more than 120 years, Michelin said its primary focus has been on providing safe, reliable tires with excellent balance of performance for the sustainable mobility of humans. Michelin has also pledged to raise public awareness of road safety by launching public awareness programs globally. Recently, the Michelin Group signed the Global Road Safety Commitment to support the Decade of Action for Road Safety, 2011-2020, which is actively promoted by the United Nations.

Having operated in China for more than two decades, Michelin has brought advanced global experience in road safety management into the country, while taking full consideration of China’s auto industry status quo and Chinese consumers’ need for safety, and has introduced a series of products with an excellent balance of performances, together with technology and services, said a company statement.

For example, Michelin has hosted the “Community Tire Security Check” for seven years and expanded it to more than 100 cities, servicing more than 100,000 cars.

Furthermore, Michelin has been working closely with Chinese partners in a series of public education programs focused on drivers and children. In 2007, Michelin joined hands with the Road Traffic Safety Association of China in public safety education in central and western China.

 

Michelin is a massive supporter and partner of YOURS and we wholeheartedly support Michelin’s road safety drives around the world.

China Daily

YOURS reopens applications for CORE Group: South and Middle Americas

YOURS reopens applications for CORE Group: South and Middle Americas

by | Nov 11, 2023 | News & Blog

YOURS has reopened the applications for the CORE Group in the region of South and Middle Americas. We do this under the premise of ensuring this region holds a representative mix of applicants that can be shortlisted and can represent this large region. YOURS opens the region for applications for a further week.

YOURS has been delighted at the overwhelming response to the CORE Group positions around the world. We are curerntly in the process of shortlisting applicants for the vacant regions and have decided to reopen applicants in the South and Middle Americas region to ensure a representative mix of applicants from this large region can be achieved. This way YOURS can choose the best applicant in the region that can facilitate the YOURS Global Youth Network for road safety in South and Middle Americas.

Applicants from the South and Middle Americas region fall into the following countries:

  • Anguilla
  • British VirginIslands
  • Ecuador
  • Martinique
  • Saint Lucia
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • US/MEX Border
  • Mexico
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Argentina
  • Cayman Islands
  • French Guiana
  • Montserrat
  • Suriname
  • Aruba
  • Chile
  • Grenada Netherlands
  • Antilles
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Bahamas
  • Colombia
  • Guadalupe
  • Nicaragua
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Barbados
  • Costa Rica
  • Guatemala
  • Panama
  • Uruguay
  • Belize
  • Cuba
  • Guyana
  • Paraguay
  • Venezuela
  • Bermuda
  • Dominica
  • Haiti
  • Peru
  • Bolivia
  • Dominican Republic
  • Honduras
  • Puerto Rico
  • Brazil
  • El Salvador
  • Jamaica
  • Saint Kitts andNevis

YOURS encourages road safety enthusiasts, campaigners and road safety organizations to apply for this role and take advantage of this extended opportunity. The deadline for this position is 18 August 2011.


You can read more information here.

Please note that all other regions are now closed for applications and all applicants for this region can expect to hear from YOURS by 19th August 2011.

YOURS is recruiting for the CORE Group! from YOURS on Vimeo.

Promo video focusing on YOURS’ new recruitment for Coordinators of the Regions. www.youthforroadsafety.org for more info!

MALTA: Road safety campaign will lay stress on use of bicycles

MALTA: Road safety campaign will lay stress on use of bicycles

by | Nov 10, 2023 | News & Blog

The inspirational story of President Nelson Mandela’s leadership in Africa has left a historical hallmark on international political action. His personal struggle as well as the political action for equality in South Africa has placed Mr Mandela as one of the most inspiring leaders worldwide. His personal association with road safety is rooted in tragic losses due to road crashes his foundation is implementing road safety solutions.

As we continue to celebrate the 93rd birthday of the beloved founding father of South African democracy, Nelson Mandela, it is worth pausing to reflect how many aspects of our lives mirror his.

In 1969, when Mr Mandela was serving life imprisonment on Robben Island, he received news that his eldest son Thembekile had been killed in a road crash. To add to the pain and loss, he was not allowed, as a “lifer”, to attend the funeral of his own son.

As a retired president, Mandela was to experience a similar loss last year when, as South Africa celebrated the opening of the Fifa World Cup, his great-granddaughter Zenani died tragically in a road accident.

Writing about the loss of his son in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela expresses the feelings of many today who have lost loved ones in road carnage when he said: “I do not have words to express the sorrow, or the loss I felt. It left a hole in my heart that can never be filled.”

On April 12 in London, we joined members of the Mandela family, represented by Zindzi and her daughter Zoleka, and the Commission for Global Road Safety to launch the Zenani Mandela Scholarship for Road Safety. The scholarship will contribute to the UN Decade of Action. We used the occasion to remind the world that while it is the living who close the eyes of the dead, it is the dead who must open the eyes of the living.

Launching the scholarship, Zoleka Mandela, the late Zenani’s mother, said: “A crash robbed me of my daughter – a beautiful, bright 13-year-old who was full of energy and hope for the future. I will never recover from this, nor will my family.

“My heart is already broken, but what makes this even worse is that so often road accidents are preventable. We must all support the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. It is our duty to end the suffering.”

The scholarship reflects the ethos and values of the Mandela family and Nelson Mandela Foundation in helping young people to make a difference to their own communities and society as a whole.The scholarship was established to inspire young leaders of South Africa to join a global movement, as represented by the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020, which aims to save millions of lives over the next 10 years.

The successful candidate is given the opportunity to learn, with and from other talented professionals from around the world, with the common aim of improving road safety, and to develop their expertise in all key aspects of road-safety management and policy-making for the communities of South Africa. The first recipient of the scholarship is Sianne Abrahams from Cape Town.

By all accounts, the death of about 1.3 million people every year on the world’s roads is fit to be described as an epidemic. By all accounts, the death of some 14 000 people every year, 1 000 people every month and no fewer than 40 people every day on South Africa’s roads must also be described as an epidemic.

On May 11, South Africa joined the rest of the world when we officially launched the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020 in Boksburg. This Decade of Action for Road Safety is a global declaration of war against road accidents and fatalities.Unless we act now, we can predict that road accidents will become the leading cause of premature deaths and disabilities for children and young people.Fortunately, while we can predict, we can also prevent. We can save millions of lives with more commitment to road safety.

It is time for action.

Drunk driving is a major contributory factor to road crashes and road deaths in South Africa. It is for this reason that the Department of Transport is considering a total ban on alcohol use for drivers.

Since May, no fewer than 10 000 drivers have been being screened every month for drinking and driving.Other interventions include South Africa’s soon-to-be-implemented National Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan 2011 to 2020. The strategy will focus on better use of human and financial resources, across all spheres of the government, to address road deaths.

To achieve this, each province, each district municipality and each local municipality will report every month on the number of road accidents occurring in their area, what the causal factors were and how these were being addressed.As part of the Department of Transport’s long-term strategy to improve driver behaviour and competence, steady progress is being made towards ensuring that road safety education forms part of the life-skills curriculum at schools. This will ensure that every Grade 11 pupil will have a learner’s licence and every 18-year-old a driving licence.

The programme has already commenced at certain schools in Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.It is also in place at the University of Zululand and Walter Sisulu University in the Eastern Cape.Road safety is not what you do to a community; road safety is what you do with a community. Therefore, community-driven road safety through community road-safety councils must become the primary driving force of this Decade of Action.

Our yardstick during this decade is going to be what communities are doing about road safety in their respective areas.A number of current road-safety initiatives that will continue include the National Traffic Intervention Unit launched in April, regular departmental meetings with traffic chiefs and licensing officials, as well as amendments to road traffic legislation.

The department will also host a summit, as part of the consultation process, ahead of the national rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act and the points demerit system, and will soon announce details on the provision of a more secure, tamper-proof driving licence card.

In a speech delivered in 2009, Madiba said: “We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.” It is in this context that we call on South Africans to take action now and make every day a Nelson Mandela Day.l Sibusiso Ndebele is Minister of Transport.

Written by: Sibusiso Ndebele

Mandela legacy and South African national road safety

Mandela legacy and South African national road safety

by | Nov 10, 2023 | News & Blog

The inspirational story of President Nelson Mandela’s leadership in Africa has left a historical hallmark on international political action. His personal struggle as well as the political action for equality in South Africa has placed Mr Mandela as one of the most inspiring leaders worldwide. His personal association with road safety is rooted in tragic losses due to road crashes his foundation is implementing road safety solutions.

As we continue to celebrate the 93rd birthday of the beloved founding father of South African democracy, Nelson Mandela, it is worth pausing to reflect how many aspects of our lives mirror his.

In 1969, when Mr Mandela was serving life imprisonment on Robben Island, he received news that his eldest son Thembekile had been killed in a road crash. To add to the pain and loss, he was not allowed, as a “lifer”, to attend the funeral of his own son.

As a retired president, Mandela was to experience a similar loss last year when, as South Africa celebrated the opening of the Fifa World Cup, his great-granddaughter Zenani died tragically in a road accident.

Writing about the loss of his son in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela expresses the feelings of many today who have lost loved ones in road carnage when he said: “I do not have words to express the sorrow, or the loss I felt. It left a hole in my heart that can never be filled.”

On April 12 in London, we joined members of the Mandela family, represented by Zindzi and her daughter Zoleka, and the Commission for Global Road Safety to launch the Zenani Mandela Scholarship for Road Safety. The scholarship will contribute to the UN Decade of Action. We used the occasion to remind the world that while it is the living who close the eyes of the dead, it is the dead who must open the eyes of the living.

Launching the scholarship, Zoleka Mandela, the late Zenani’s mother, said: “A crash robbed me of my daughter – a beautiful, bright 13-year-old who was full of energy and hope for the future. I will never recover from this, nor will my family.

“My heart is already broken, but what makes this even worse is that so often road accidents are preventable. We must all support the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. It is our duty to end the suffering.”

The scholarship reflects the ethos and values of the Mandela family and Nelson Mandela Foundation in helping young people to make a difference to their own communities and society as a whole.The scholarship was established to inspire young leaders of South Africa to join a global movement, as represented by the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020, which aims to save millions of lives over the next 10 years.

The successful candidate is given the opportunity to learn, with and from other talented professionals from around the world, with the common aim of improving road safety, and to develop their expertise in all key aspects of road-safety management and policy-making for the communities of South Africa. The first recipient of the scholarship is Sianne Abrahams from Cape Town.

By all accounts, the death of about 1.3 million people every year on the world’s roads is fit to be described as an epidemic. By all accounts, the death of some 14 000 people every year, 1 000 people every month and no fewer than 40 people every day on South Africa’s roads must also be described as an epidemic.

On May 11, South Africa joined the rest of the world when we officially launched the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020 in Boksburg. This Decade of Action for Road Safety is a global declaration of war against road accidents and fatalities.Unless we act now, we can predict that road accidents will become the leading cause of premature deaths and disabilities for children and young people.Fortunately, while we can predict, we can also prevent. We can save millions of lives with more commitment to road safety.

It is time for action.

Drunk driving is a major contributory factor to road crashes and road deaths in South Africa. It is for this reason that the Department of Transport is considering a total ban on alcohol use for drivers.

Since May, no fewer than 10 000 drivers have been being screened every month for drinking and driving.Other interventions include South Africa’s soon-to-be-implemented National Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan 2011 to 2020. The strategy will focus on better use of human and financial resources, across all spheres of the government, to address road deaths.

To achieve this, each province, each district municipality and each local municipality will report every month on the number of road accidents occurring in their area, what the causal factors were and how these were being addressed.As part of the Department of Transport’s long-term strategy to improve driver behaviour and competence, steady progress is being made towards ensuring that road safety education forms part of the life-skills curriculum at schools. This will ensure that every Grade 11 pupil will have a learner’s licence and every 18-year-old a driving licence.

The programme has already commenced at certain schools in Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.It is also in place at the University of Zululand and Walter Sisulu University in the Eastern Cape.Road safety is not what you do to a community; road safety is what you do with a community. Therefore, community-driven road safety through community road-safety councils must become the primary driving force of this Decade of Action.

Our yardstick during this decade is going to be what communities are doing about road safety in their respective areas.A number of current road-safety initiatives that will continue include the National Traffic Intervention Unit launched in April, regular departmental meetings with traffic chiefs and licensing officials, as well as amendments to road traffic legislation.

The department will also host a summit, as part of the consultation process, ahead of the national rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act and the points demerit system, and will soon announce details on the provision of a more secure, tamper-proof driving licence card.

In a speech delivered in 2009, Madiba said: “We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.” It is in this context that we call on South Africans to take action now and make every day a Nelson Mandela Day.l Sibusiso Ndebele is Minister of Transport.

Written by: Sibusiso Ndebele

CORE Group Vacancies Now Closed

CORE Group Vacancies Now Closed

by | Nov 10, 2023 | News & Blog

The deadline for the YOURS CORE Group is now closed. We have received an unprecedented amount of applicants and overwhelmed with the global response. All applicants have been informed of receipt of their application. We are now currently undertaking the shortlisting process for all applications. All applicants can expect to hear from YOURS by 19th August.

Everyone at YOURS are very excited at the unprecedented amount of applications received for the position of the CORE group, Co-ordinators of the Regions. We have received a huge amount of attention from around the world with numbers of applicants exceeding our expections. YOURS would like to thank all applicants who took time out to apply for this role.

Because of the amount of applicants, YOURS has set 19th August 2011 as the date for correspondence regarding shortlisting. You can expect to hear from us informing you whether you have been successful or not for the second phase of the application process. If successful for the second round, YOURS will be requesting additional information regarding your application with the possibility of an online interview if required.

While the date was officially closed on 31 July 2011, the overwhelming response to the role has seen us receiving applications past this deadline. While we welcome these applications into the process, we assure you that equal weighting and attention will be given to every application. Additionally, YOURS is considering keeping certain regions open to ensure we can attain a representative mix of applicants in these regions. More information about open regions (regions still open for applications) will be published in due course.

Finally, YOURS would like to offer gratitude to every applicant and organizations who helped spread the word about the CORE Group Vacancies. Applicants can expect to hear from us in due course and before 19th August 2011.

Spurs and Orlanda Pirates wear the Tag for Zenani and the Decade

Spurs and Orlanda Pirates wear the Tag for Zenani and the Decade

by | Nov 10, 2023 | News & Blog

In memory of Zenani Mandela and to raise awareness for the Decade of Action for Road Safety, Tottenham Hotspur and the Orlando Pirates wore the yellow road safety Tag on black armbands during their match on 19 July 2011 at Mbombela Stadium, South Africa.

Source: www.FiaFoundation.org

The yellow Tag for the UN Decade of Action is intended to serve as the ‘AIDS ribbon’ for road safety, unifying global support for the effort to save millions of lives on the world’s roads. The teams are wearing the Tag symbol on armbands in order to raise awareness for road safety and honour the memory of Zenani who was killed in a car crash on the eve of the 2010 World Cup. 

spurs match 2

The Nelson Mandela Foundation, the South African Department of Transport and independent charity the FIA Foundation are running the Zenani Mandela Scholarship for Road Safety, a UN Decade of Action initiative. The Scholarship was set up in Zenani’s memory to help train South African road safety professionals and also encourages road safety awareness raising activities to be carried out.

At the Mbombela Stadium where the match was being played, a film for the UN Decade of Action was shown at half-time. It featured Zoleka Mandela, mother of Zenani, calling for action on road safety in South Africa and around the world. Fans of both teams also wore the Tag during the game. After the match, Nelson Mandela’s grandson, 19 year old Karabo Lushaba, met the Spurs players for a photo session with the Decade Tag.

A range of sports stars, celebrities and high profile figures are wearing the yellow Tag and supporting the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. Inspiring figures to have given their support include former US President Bill Clinton, Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, musician and campaigner Sir Bob Geldof, and actress Michelle Yeoh.

In the world of sport others such as the Ghana national football team have previously worn the Tag while competing, notably during their match with England at Wembley in 2011. Tottenham Hotspur also raised awareness for the UN Decade of Action on 18th July in a Mandela Day initiative at their training session with Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele, and representatives of the Mandela family.

Click here to watch the short Decade of Action film played at half-time >