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Michelin and Total come together for a global road safety initiative

Ganesh Murthy

Emphasis on road safety

French tyre manufacturer Michelin and Total, the French multinational oil and gas company, have come together for a social campaign using digital media that aims to reduce the number of road accidents around the world. In the initial phase spanning three years, the campaign aims to reach 100,000 youth between 10 and 18 years in India, France and Cameroon. The campaign will then be broad based to a wider audience around the world. According to a joint survey conducted by them, over 227,000 people in the world, less than 20 years of age are killed each year due to road accidents. Together the two companies will be investing around 1.5 million Euro and will also be reaching out to educational institutes to reach their target audience.

On the road safety programme with Total, Jean-Dominique Senard, CEO of the Michelin Group said, “We are all convinced that digital tools are a new opportunity to engage in highly targeted, even bespoke, interaction with people. This innovative program, developed in close collaboration with the Total Foundation teams, will channel this certainty into a priority action: making our roads safer for children and adolescents. At a moment in life when they are developing their autonomy, we want to provide the means for them to learn in harmony with their community.”

Addressing the young population of the world regarding the road safety initiative, Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of Total said, “Safety is one of the Group’s key values and our commitment to transportation safety is a priority. Drivers cover over 700 million kilometres per year, placing mobility at the heart of Total’s activities. Today, we are sharing this specific road safety expertise with local communities to prevent road accidents, via an educational partnership developed with Michelin. Our strong roots in the host communities ensure the success of this project. By addressing 10-18 year-olds directly, we have a golden opportunity to make them future road safety ambassadors and to contribute, through education, to saving lives.”