Michelin and FIA launch a Teen Road Safety Grant Programme

21.01.15
Up to $100,000 of road safety grants will be distributed to improve access to critical tire safety information for teens in the Miami and Los Angeles areas.

Automobile accidents are the number one killer of teens in America, with 5,000 deaths each year.  And of the 2.2 million accidents per year among inexperienced drivers, 12 percent can be attributed to tire-related issues, such as insufficient tread or pressure. However, few driver’s education programmes offer instruction on tire maintenance and safety.

Many of these accidents are preventable. With more comprehensive driver’s education, especially around tire maintenance and safety, risks of teen car accidents can be reduced. That is why Michelin and the FIA – within its Action for Road Safety initiative - have joined together to launch a campaign – Beyond the Driving Test to raise awareness of tire maintenance and safety. This campaign aims at changing the way new drivers are prepared, including mobilizing parental involvement, encouraging peer education and working to update the state-by-state Department of Motor Vehicles education curricula. The goal is to have all 50 states include tire safety information in their individual driver’s education curricula by 2020.

In an effort to meet this goal, Michelin and the FIA are announcing up to $100,000 in road safety grants to improve access to critical tire safety information for teens in the Miami and Los Angeles areas. This two-market pilot program is in conjunction with FIA’s Formula E Championship and helps deliver on the series’ ambition to leave a lasting legacy in the host cities.

Prior to submitting an application, all interested applicants are strongly advised to review the information on beyondthedrivingtest.com to learn more about Michelin and FIA’s teen road safety campaign focused on educating teens about tire safety information.

Eligible applicants are non-profit 501(c)3 organizations with networks capable of delivering program activities and content within the greater Miami and Los Angeles metro areas (within 50-mile radius). All grants should be submitted no later than February 13, 2015 to teen-road-safety.grants@us.michelin.com.

The Miami-area recipient will be informed before the Miami Formula e Race (March 14) and will be expected to attend the Awards Banquet on March 13, 2015, the evening before the race. The Los Angeles-area recipient will be informed at the beginning of March and will be expected to attend the Awards Banquet on April 3, 2015 before the Los Angeles Formula e race (April 4).

Key Dates

January 13 – Michelin announces road safety grant program in Detroit at the 2015 NAIAS
January 13 - February 13 – Call for grant proposals; deadline 11:59 p.m. on Fri., Feb. 13
*March 1 – Grant recipients will be notified (*notification date dependent on number of submissions)
March 13 – Announce first $50,000 grant recipient at Formula e Race Awards Banquet in Miami
April 3 – Announce second $50,000 grant recipient at Formula e Race Awards Banquet in Long Beach

Programs will be executed during 2015-2016 school year.