Bridgestone Drives “The 1st Bridgestone Global Road Safety Project” for the Youths,
Handover Road Modifications to Kathu Wittaya School in Phuket Province
[Phuket] (May 10, 2022) - Thai Bridgestone Co., Ltd., in collaboration with Asian Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP Foundation) and local partners, handovered road modifications under the “The 1st Bridgestone Global Road Safety Project” to Kathu Wittaya School in Phuket province. The school safety zone has been improved to reach the 5-Star Ratings for Schools. *1 The Road Safety campaign is one of Bridgestone’s corporate social responsibility initiatives implemented globally. As a sustainable solutions company, Bridgestone contributes to making everyone’s journey safe and implements the project starting at school to promote road safety awareness and encourage safe behaviors among young generations. Furthermore, Bridgestone is committed to being a part of reducing road accidents and improving safety concretely through a pilot school.
Mr. Keiji Chuma, Managing Director of Thai Bridgestone Co., Ltd. (The 4th left),
Mr. Arnupab Rodkwan Yodrabam, Deputy Governor of Phuket (The 4th right),
Ms. Mirjam Sidik, Chief Executive Officer of AIP Foundation (The 3rd right) and local partners, attended
“The 1st Bridgestone Global Road Safety” Road Modifications Handover Ceremony
at Kathu Wittaya School in Phuket province
Mr. Keiji Chuma, Managing Director of Thai Bridgestone Co., Ltd., revealed, “Bridgestone Global Road Safety Project” is a Bridgestone’s global corporate social responsibility initiative to promote road safety awareness and encourage safe behaviors among children and youths.
The project objectives and activities comprise:
1. School-Based Education – Develop a comprehensive road safety curriculum to strengthen safe behaviors among students and teachers at targeted schools.
2. Empowerment - Build the first generation of Bridgestone‘s Youth Champions to cultivate leadership and road safety awareness among students. They will also be road safety advocates in their communities, mentoring road safety practices to peers, families, and other youths.
3. Road Safety Assessments (RSAs) - Bridgestone will select one school each year to improve the school zone based on the Star Ratings for Schools (SR4S) assessment tool to achieve the 3-Star Ratings or better. Following the Road Safety Assessments, school safety zone will support safer mobility for students, parents, and teachers.
4. Local Engagement - Empower local stakeholders to become engaged in infrastructure modifications at the pilot school to be a safety zone and sustainably reduce road accidents in the community.
Since the previous year, Bridgestone has collaborated with 4 schools across the country to conduct the program: Kathu Wittaya School in Phuket province, Nakhon Sawan School in Nakhon Sawan province, Khonkaen Wittayayon 2 School in Khon Kaen province, and Samakkhi Witthayakhom 2 School in Chiang Rai province. Altogether, 261 students and 40 teachers from these schools participated in, with 8 students from the 4 schools selected as Bridgestone’s Youth Champions. These 8 Bridgestone’s Youth Champions attended road safety training in Bangkok, enabling them to cultivate leadership and road safety awareness among students. They were supported to present their opinions at national road safety events and activities plus serve as road safety advocates in their communities. Furthermore, road safety assessments were conducted around the school zone using the globally recognized Star Ratings for Schools (SR4S) assessment tool. This year, one school zone has been selected for infrastructure modifications - the Kathu Wittaya School in Phuket. This school safety zone was developed in collaboration with local partners, including COCKPIT Manit Center Max, to improve the safety of pedestrian walkways and roads around the school. This was implemented by providing visible traffic signages and designating the area as a strict enforcement zone. As the pilot school for road safety, we hope this will contribute to the reduction in accidents and losses for the school as well as the neighboring community."
Road Modifications at Kathu Wittaya School in Phuket province
Ms. Mirjam Sidik, Chief Executive Officer of AIP Foundation, explained the importance of road modifications for the school under The 1st Bridgestone Global Road Safety Project with the support of Thai Bridgestone, "The handover of the road modifications at Kathu Wittaya School is a positive sign that all parties are working to bring us closer to our vision of a world where all neighborhood streets are livable, safe, and sustainable. The road modifications here were carried out using iRAP’s Star Ratings for Schools system or SR4S. The initial road assessment for this school zone found no school zone warning and no speed limit sign where 50 kph was deemed the maximum allowable. To address these issues and prevent death and injuries of students, teachers, parents the neighbors, we have worked with local partners to improve traffic safety. This includes the installation of 30 kph speed limit signs, renewed lane markings, and a student drop-off zone for improved safety. These infrastructure modifications contribute to our work towards achieving the target of reducing at least 50% of road injuries and fatalities by 2030. It also means ensuring that all of them have safe and equal access to education and cultivating safety in the community by creating a five-star road safety rating around this pilot school.”
Mr. Arnupab Rodkwan Yodrabam, Deputy Governor of Phuket, said "As the Vice Director of the Phuket Road Safety Center, I would like to thank you Thai Bridgestone Co., Ltd. and AIP Foundation, and everyone who have to lend their hands in the implementation of The 1st Bridgestone Global Road Safety Project a reality. Phuket province has good traffic enforcement with good cooperation from all parties. The participation of the civil society and the public are keys to driving efficiency in the prevention and reduction of road incidents sustainably. We hope that this project will cultivate a safer mobility society and become an exemplary role model for good road safety, especially for students in the project. The efforts can further be extended, in the future, to neighboring communities where they could learn and benefit from the knowledge gained by this pilot school."
Mr. Sanit Rodsen, Director of Kathu Wittaya School, added, “The areas in front of and adjacent to our school are road risks due to the high traffic of students and their parents, our teachers, and staff. We wish to thank Thai Bridgestone for selecting Kathu Wittaya School in Phuket province as the pilot school to implement a road safety curriculum for the students and modify the infrastructure around the school to reduce risks for everyone.”
Bridgestone’s Youth Champions, Mr. Thanaphon Seakhu and Mr. Narongchan Tonnam, from Kathu Wittaya School, thanked everyone saying, "We are both very proud to be selected as Bridgestone's Youth Champions. We shall put the knowledge and experience gained from participating in The 1st Bridgestone Road Safety Project to good use in our school and community. Our peers at school shall also gain from us, and we hope they will put the learnings into practice as we do. Thank you, Thai Bridgestone, for the opportunities to be part of this great project."
Bridgestone will continue to expand the Bridgestone Global Road Safety Project nationwide to more schools in the upcoming years. In line with the “Bridgestone E8 Commitment” *2, “Empowerment: Committed to contributing to a society that ensures accessibility and dignity for all” and “Ease: Committed to bringing comfort and peace of mind to mobility life”, Bridgestone constantly strives towards promoting and preventing road accidents forsustainable mobility safety.
Bridgestone’s Youth Champions from Kathu Wittaya School
Mr. Keiji Chuma, Ms. Mirjam Sidik and students from Kathu Wittaya School
*1 The school safety zone has been improved to reach the 5-Star Ratings for Schools by using the Star Ratings for Schools system - SR4S. This is an evidence-based tool for measuring, managing, and communicating the risks children are exposed to on a journey to school. The SR4S was awarded a prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in December 2018, recognizing the application’s huge potential to reduce risk and save the lives of pedestrians worldwide. It supports quick interventions that save lives and prevent serious injuries from day one. Moreover, the United Nations has included road safety in its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.6 - Good health and well-being. SR4S is key to meeting these global targets for child and adolescent pedestrians.
*2 The Bridgestone Group newly established its corporate commitment, the “Bridgestone E8 Commitment” to realize its vision: “Toward 2050, Bridgestone continues to provide social value and customer value as a sustainable solutions company.” This commitment will serve as the Group’s axis to drive management while earning the trust off future generations. The “Bridgestone E8 Commitment” consists of 8 Bridgestone-like values starting with the letter “E” (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension,
Economy, Emotion, Ease, and Empowerment) that the Group will commit to creating through Bridgestone-like “purpose “and “process “, together with employees, society, its partners, and customers to realize a sustainable society.
About Bridgestone in Thailand
Headquartered in Tokyo, Bridgestone Corporation is a global leader providing sustainable mobility and advanced solutions. In Thailand, Thai Bridgestone Co., Ltd. (TBSC) is a leading manufacturer in the Thai automotive industry, while Bridgestone Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (BSTL) is the exclusive importer & distributor, and supervises the marketing strategy for Bridgestone, Firestone and Dayton branded tires in Thailand. Bridgestone is a brand trusted by its customers, dealers and business partners. It offers an extensive range of quality tires, carefully developed to suit local conditions and to deliver social value and customer value. Bridgestone is dedicated to shaping a sustainable future of mobility and improving the way people move, live, work and play.