Bridgestone has reinforced its dedication to road safety and the next generation of drivers by forming an exciting new partnership with Young Driver, an initiative that will reach over 320,000 students and parents across the UK in the coming year. This collaboration aims to raise awareness about the critical role tyres play in road safety through a variety of creative educational efforts.
Launched during the UK’s National Tyre Safety Month this October and organised by TyreSafe, the partnership will offer budding motorists’ valuable knowledge about tyre safety and maintenance. Young Driver delivers approximately 140,000 driving lessons annually to youngsters aged 10 to 17, operating at 70 private venues across the UK. These lessons, held in a range of vehicles from Vauxhall Corsas to Porsches, provide a fun, engaging and safe environment for future drivers to learn under the guidance of qualified instructors.
As Young Driver’s exclusive tyre partner, Bridgestone is taking this opportunity to educate young motorists about the importance of tyres and how to perform simple, yet essential checks to ensure they are legal and safe. Interactive learning tools, such as quizzes on the Young Driver app and tyre safety giveaways are all part of the initiative. Bridgestone will also work with the Young Driver Foundation, a not-for-profit arm that partners with road safety charities and schools to promote safe driving.
This partnership supports Bridgestone’s broader ‘Become a Bridgestone Road Safety Hero’ campaign, which has seen hundreds of free tyre safety checks conducted at events across the UK. At the British Motor Show in August, for instance, over 800 cars had their tyres inspected as part of this initiative. Bridgestone has also distributed postcards that highlight essential tyre safety tips, reminding motorists that a vehicle’s four small contact patches with the road play a crucial role in driving safety.
Bridgestone’s North Region Vice President Andrea Manenti comments:
“We’re thrilled to be working with Young Driver, who make such a lasting impression with budding motorists when sitting in the car for the first time.
“Young Driver makes an invaluable contribution towards road safety by educating pupils at an early age, which is what we are striving to achieve at Bridgestone. We want to educate budding motorists about the importance of tyre performance and maintenance at a time when these messages are most likely to live long in the memory, which is why we were so keen to strike up a collaboration.”
Bridgestone’s focus on future generations stems from a recently commissioned tyre safety survey, which revealed concerning statistics about tyre maintenance habits among 2,000 UK drivers. The survey found that 73% of motorists don’t regularly check their tyres, 29% rely on their annual MOT for tyre checks and 35% admit to never considering tyre safety at all. This disconnect highlights the importance of educating new drivers early on about tyre safety basics, making the partnership with Young Driver a perfect fit for Bridgestone’s mission.
The collaboration with Young Driver is also aligned with Bridgestone’s broader commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. It reflects the company’s E8 Commitment, which encompasses eight key areas: Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease and Empowerment. These principles guide Bridgestone’s strategic decisions and actions, ensuring that safety, sustainability and customer value are central to everything they do.
Through this partnership, Bridgestone is not only enhancing road safety education but also paving the way for safer, more informed drivers for years to come, with Ian Mulingani, Managing Director at Young Driver, saying:
“We’ve spent the last 15 years working hard to create a safer next generation of drivers. We realised that process didn’t have to begin when a teenager was 17 and learning on the road – it’s much more successful when it’s done over a longer period of time and from a younger age. Introducing the drivers of the future to tyre safety can only be a good thing, in terms of making our roads a safer place to be, which is why we’re delighted to be partnering with Bridgestone.”
For more information about tyre safety and ways to stay safe on roads for young new drivers, please visit: Bridgestone Road Safety Hero Learners and for Adult Drivers you can visit: www..bridgestone.co.uk.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man Behind The Wheel, a professional photographer and former saloon car racing driver.
Images courtesy of Bridgestone
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