Do not worry Michael Schumacher was on about slowing down on the public roads as under the patronage of His Highness the Crown Prince and President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khailfa joined seven-time Formula One World Champion Schumacher on a panel of six to unveil the launch of this safety campaign in Bahrain. Joining them was David Ward, Director General of the FIA Foundation, Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of the Interior, Shaikh Abdulla Bin Isa Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Motor Federation and Yujiro Kanahara from Bridgestone
Michael was once again excited to be in Bahrain and to be able to help in such a valiant cause saying “I always love coming to Bahrain and it makes my visit even more special when I can give something back to the people. The Think Before You Drive Campaign is one of great importance throughout the world and we have made people aware of the simple messages already in a lot of other countries. I’m convinced the Kingdom of Bahrain will also benefit greatly from such a program. The launch of this prior to the Formula-One-race makes perfect sense as the eyes of the world will be firmly focused upon Bahrain International Circuit for the next four days.”
Think Before You Drive is a global road safety initiative of the FIA Foundation, supported by Bridgestone Corporation and affiliated motoring organizations such as the BMF.
The Campaign aims to promote safe driving behaviour and to raise awareness about road safety, locally and internationally.
The Crown Prince is extremely supportive of the campaign and commented; “Traffic safety in the Kingdom of Bahrain is a very important issue that requires great attention and concern from everybody. Traffic statistics point to 3 fatal cases per 10,000 cars in Bahrain. Although this figure has been decreasing, our aim is to reduce it even more, to 1 per 10,000, in the next five years. The Kingdom of Bahrain supports motor-sports, and requires that all motor sport activities be practiced in their designated areas, and not on public roads. People are required to follow traffic laws and regulations, which have been set to ensure the safety of all road users. I hope this national campaign will achieve its desired goals, and I hope that everyone will take part and cooperate to ensure its success.”
Russell Dyas
DailyF1News.com
