FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
CITROËN, FORD & MINI SUPPORT FIA ACTION FOR ROAD SAFETY
The three manufacturers registered in the FIA World Rally Championship have pledged their support of the FIA’s Action for Road Safety, a global campaign that focuses the Federation’s resources on advocating for safer roads, vehicles and behaviour.
Citroën, Ford and MINI will all be displaying the FIA Action for Road Safety branding on their rally cars from ADAC Rallye Deutschland and, with the support of their drivers and co-drivers, will help increase awareness for improved road safety.
Jean Todt, President of the FIA said: “Now is the time to act; road traffic accidents are the main cause of death among young people. The World Rally Championship manufacturers and their drivers and co-drivers are ambassadors and opinion formers and there is no doubt their support will help us spread important messages to millions of people around the world.”
Seven time FIA World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb said: "We are happy to support such a campaign with the FIA as this is a very noble cause and a priority. I know it is also very important to Citroën and the PSA group who are involved in developing all sorts of technologies to help increase safety on board its vehicles and help reduce the death and injury rate from car accidents. I will be proud to actively participate in the campaign."
Gerard Quinn, Senior Manager, Motorsport, Ford of Europe said: “I'm delighted we have the opportunity to work with the FIA on their project. Safety is of paramount importance to Ford so any initiative where we can help to reduce serious injury or loss of life on roads around the globe is something we want to support.”
MINI driver Kris Meeke added: “Road safety is a big factor. In the World Rally Championship we are competing in a controlled environment where the roads are closed, we have full safety cages and all the safety equipment available to make it as safe as possible. When you take to the public roads you are dealing with cars that may have less performance, but they still don’t have all the safety measures we do, and the roads are open to everyone. We are in an ideal position to help highlight this and encourage safer driving to millions of fans around the world.”
The FIA’s Action for Road Safety supports the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, an initiative that aims to stabilise and then reduce the number of deaths on the road. The goal is to save five million lives in 10 years and the FIA’s campaign has already received support from across the motoring and motor sport spectrum.
Each year around the world 1.3 million people are killed on the roads and another fifty million are injured, some of them very seriously. It is the FIA’s objective to commit all of its members to projects to raise awareness of the importance of lowering the tragic figures of those killed on roads and to help the United Nations reach its objective.
The FIA’s Action for Road Safety campaign sees its global family working together and drawing on its unique resources and reserves to unleash a wave of support to reduce traffic related deaths and injuries worldwide. It allows the FIA to target motorists, motorsport enthusiasts, young people and governments. It will see every FIA club make a commitment to address a critical road safety problem in their country.