Reaching young drivers – Building road safety awareness with puppets
Overview
Michelin is working hard to educate the next generation of drivers about the importance of road safety. In order to target young drivers, Michelin has teamed with regional partners and a professional puppeteer to roll out a programme of edgy puppet shows and software demos in schools and colleges to teach young people about the dangers of the road. These were initially performed around the Company’s head office in Stoke, but are now nationwide. The young driver community is more at risk on the roads than any other age group, with one in three drivers who die under 25 (DSA.)
Impact
Questionnaires conducted before and after the puppet shows showed a 21% increase in the number of young people that would tell the driver to stop speeding or using their mobile phone or iPod. It also showed a 15% increase in the number of students that would take their earphones out or not use their mobile phone when crossing the road. After the performance, one tutor from Royal Wootton Bassett Academy said: “The pupils could really relate to the characters in the films and particularly the puppets, which brought a sense of humour to the presentation.”
Innovation
Michelin believes that the private sector has a duty to get more involved in education around road safety, which must reach young people in an innovative way. Life-size puppets may not be the first thing that springs to mind when considering engaging with teenagers, but the show incorporates humour, videos and shock tactics to really bring the dangers of the road to life in an edgy and memorable way. In addition to the show, Michelin has partnered with A2OM to roll out DriveiQ software in schools, to educate young drivers about the dangers of the roads through online scenarios.[/one_half_last]
Insight
Building awareness of the initiative has been difficult; Michelin has had great success with the scheme around the Stoke area, thanks to its partnership with the Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP). However, the tyre manufacturer is very keen to partner with other organisations to roll it out across the UK: road safety is after all a nationwide issue and the campaign deserves nationwide reach. Without additional support, limited budgets mean that the initiative simply cannot be rolled out to all corners of the country, hence the focus on the local communities in which Michelin operates.
Inspiration
Michelin is much more than just a tyre manufacturer – it puts issues such as road safety at the heart of the Company’s CSR, or PRM (Performance and Responsibility Michelin) strategy. Michelin has worked to strengthen the work of the public sector to educate young people about the dangers of the road, in turn aligning itself with the issue of road safety, unlike many other automotive companies who are closely associated with speed or racing for example. Michelin has also successfully created a link with tyres, as the only contact point with the road, and safety to an audience of thousands.[/one_half_last]
Speaker
Darren Lindsey
Head of Government and Public Affairs
Michelin