Bridgestone Tyre Safety roadshow in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

The Bridgestone ‘Tyre Safety and Eco Station’ campaign that has toured around the GCC will finally come to its final destination, the United Arab Emirates. The Bridgestone GCC-wide road show will make two stops in the country with the first in Abu Dhabi and then in Dubai. The roadshow which aims at making the region’s roads safer for everyone will be at the Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi from June 16th to 17th and at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai from June 30th to July 1st. Both campaign initiatives are duly supported by Bridgestone’s trusted local partners –Al Masaood Group and Nasser Bin Abdullatif Alserkal Est., respectively.

The road show first started last January in Oman and passed by Qatar (Doha, 17-19 March 2011), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, 20-21 April 2011) and Kuwait (Kuwait City, 19-20 May 2011).

The campaign, developed by Bridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE, urges the region’s drivers to check their tyre pressure and tread in a bid to enhance driver safety and reduce the incidence of road traffic accidents. At the Bridgestone ‘Tyre Safety & Eco Station’, people will learn how to properly check tyre air pressure, tread wear, and other important tyre safety measures which enhances safety while driving on roads. The stand will have a special demo corner where drivers can personally learn how to check the proper tyre air pressure and avoid the dangers of driving with underinflated/overinflated and worn-out/damaged tyres.

There are also a whole host of fun activities for children and families at the stand – including drawing and coloring activities, face painting, giveaways, and raffle draws. All participants will receive an exclusive Bridgestone eco-bag, Tyre Safety booklet and a Bridgestone Tyre Safety compact gauge which measures air pressure and tread depth when they visit the stand and partake in the activities.

According to the World Health Organization’s Global Report on Road Safety (2009) the Eastern Mediterranean Region, which includes the GCC, has the highest rate of road deaths in the world along with African nations. UAE is the GCC country which sadly recorded the highest number of road deaths – 37.1 per 100,000 people. The ranking see in the second position the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at 29, followed by Qatar at 23.7 and Oman at 21.3. Kuwait and Bahrain are the only two countries with incidence of fatalities below the global average of 19 per 100,000 at 16.9 and 12.1 road deaths per 100,000 people respectively.

Mr. Shoichi Sakuma, President of Bridgestone Middle East & Africa, says: “Bridgestone developed this fun and educational campaign to improve safety of people on the roads and to help reduce the number of road accidents in the region. Many drivers are unaware of the key role tyres play for keeping a vehicle safe while driving. At the Tyre Safety and Eco Station, people will learn some very simple and easy steps to properly check their tyres and keep their families and friends safer while they drive.”

The campaign also emphasizes the positive environmental impact of maintaining correct tyre pressure. Driving at the correct pressure reduces fuel consumption, which in turn minimizes the environmental impact of a journey, and saves the motorist money.