More than 1.35 million people die in traffic-related accidents each year, thus road safety is widely recognized as a common issue globally.*1 Given its foundation as a tire company, the Bridgestone Group understands that road safety is an integral part of the design of mobility systems and the resilience of communities.
Since proper tire maintenance is important for safer transportation, the Group conducts safety awareness activities such as tire-safety inspections for customers as well as other community-oriented activities as part of its commitment to “Ease: Committed to bringing comfort and peace of mind to mobility life.” Also, to promote “Empowerment: Committed to contributing to a society that ensures accessibility and dignity for all,” the Group is educating the next generation on road safety and its importance in improving quality of life in local communities. The Group is also enhancing traffic safety education for employees to raise safety awareness throughout the value chain, thereby contributing to traffic safety not only through its products and services, but also through its daily work.
The Group’s Global Road Safety Task Force (RSTF) was organized under a working group that engages in social contribution activities within the Group in 2022 to look into enhancing the level of the Group’s various current efforts of road safety globally. Being aware of its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Target 3.6 (Halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents) and the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, the RSTF has developed a global framework by transforming the Group’s current local initiatives into one global synergistic program (the Bridgestone Road Safety Program: BRSP) in cooperation with the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), an international NPO that promotes traffic safety activities by connecting companies, development/government agencies, civil society organizations, etc., which will start on a trial basis in 2023. For executing the BRSP, the Group, in also collaboration with GRSP, developed the playbook as an internal global guide and shared it with the Group’s global employees.