Road safety will be highlighted at the Circuit de la Sarthe, as drivers participating in the 3rd round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 24 Heures du Mans joined Michelin and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) to show their support for the FIA’s Action for Road Safety campaign.
Michelin and the ACO reinforce their commitment to improving road safety within the framework of the FIA Action for Road Safety campaign via the distribution of 50,000 tyre tread depth gauges to the public. The gauges will be handed out over the course of the race weekend opposite the Michelin enclosure in the 24 Heures Village.

Building on twelve months of activities to raise awareness of safer motoring, the FIA Action for Road Safety’s presence at the 24 Heures du Mans highlighted the importance of drivers ensuring that their tyres are in good condition, and called on race goers to support the campaign which aims to save 5 million lives on roads around the world.

A special group photograph featuring the 168 drivers taking part in the 24 Heures du Mans, along with the FIA President and the President of the ACO will take place to mark the first year of the campaign and will be later distributed to racing fans along with the FIA’s Golden Rules for Safer Motoring.

FIA Action for Road Safety

Every year road traffic accidents are responsible for the deaths of 1.3 million people around the world and the injuries of nearly 50 million others. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that unless something is done to address this critical issue by 2030 traffic accidents will become the planet’s fifth most common cause of death, with a predicted 2.4 million fatalities per year.

The FIA’s Action for Road Safety campaign aims to address this problem and to limit the number of deaths and injuries on the world’s roads by focusing the federation's resources on helping its member organisations around the globe to educate and advocate for safer roads, vehicles and behaviours. Supported by the ACO and Michelin, the FIA Action for Road Safety initiative is part of the Decade of Action for Road Safety programme launched by the United Nations (UN), 2011-2020.

For more information: www.actionforroadsafety.org

Photo: 24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2011. Circuit des 24 Heures, June 11. Jean Todt FIA President and Jean-Claude Plassart , surrounded by drivers, once again stressing the importance of road safety to the FIA.