Mercedes-Benz Supports Make Roads Safe Campaign

The FIA and Mercedes-Benz have demonstrated their support for improving global road safety today with the launch of rebranded F1 Safety and Medical cars.

Both the Mercedes SLS AMG Safety Car and the Mercedes C63 AMG Medical Car will run throughout the 2010 season with liveries displaying the Make Roads Safe campaign logo and the web site address for more information on the UN backed road safety initiative.

Seven time world champion and Make Roads Safe Ambassador Michael Schumacher will further promote awareness of the initiative by featuring the Make Roads Safe logo on his racing helmet.

Following the recent Decade of Action for Road Safety declaration by the UN General Assembly, the FIA is developing a ten-year international action plan to support the initiative. The FIA will be encouraging its motor sport and mobility membership as well the competitors and key stakeholders in its Championships to participate in the Decade of Action.
FIA President, Jean Todt, said:

“I am delighted to see that Mercedes is helping to promote the Make Roads Safe campaign message. Formula One is ideally placed to reach millions of viewers across the world and in doing so can help us raise awareness of the global, but often invisible tragedy of road accident casualties.”

“Safety in Formula One has improved enormously over the last ten years, in the next ten years our sport can help focus public attention on improving safety on our roads.”

Michael Schumacher, seven time World Champion and campaign Make Roads Safe Ambassador, said:

“Road accidents have already overtaken malaria as a major killer in developing countries. A staggering total of 1.3 million people die every year in road traffic crashes and this figure is set to rise to almost 2 million by 2020.

“I am proud of the achievements of the Make Roads Safe campaign to date, the UN has backed our call for a Decade of Action and now I look forward to working with the many stakeholders in our motor sport to make our contribution to this vitally important cause.”

The Make Roads Safe campaign is an initiative of the Commission for Global Road Safety. It has been spearheaded by the FIA Foundation, a charitable organisation which was established with the monies from the sale of Formula One’s TV rights.

As a direct result of the Make Roads Safe Campaign and the work of the Commission for Global Road Safety, this March the United Nation proclaimed 2011-2020 a Decade of Action for Road Safety. With road deaths having been set to double in the next 10 years, this landmark resolution will pave the way to halve the deaths over the next decade saving five million lives.

Road crashes already kill on a scale of Malaria or Tuberculosis and they are forecast to increase dramatically unless action is taken:

* By 2030, the projected number of deaths on the world’s roads will be roughly double the current level.
* Around 1.3 million people will be killed on the world’s roads this year. Over 90 per cent of these fatalities occur in the world’s poorest countries.
* Road traffic fatalities are the single biggest source of death among 15-19 year olds in developing countries and the second leading cause among 5-14 year olds.

Note to editors

The Formula One Safety Car initiative will be mirrored by the FIA’s other World Championships with the GT1 World Championship and WTCC Safety Cars both sporting Make Roads Safe liveries for the 2010 season.