car2go Expands Road Safety Education Courses To All U.S. Members, Rewarding Those Who Participate In Road Safety Education

AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- car2go N.A., the largest one-way carsharing service in North America with over one million members in the U.S. and Canada, today will expand access of its free online road safety courses to all 625,000 U.S. members. The expansion of car2go's 2017 road safety course pilot program, which rewarded members who completed the program with free drive-time credit, further strengthens car2go's commitment to road safety goals.

The free online courses, which normally cost up to $49.95 each, focus on road safety and distracted driving. They are provided by the National Safety Council (NSC), a nonprofit organization widely recognized as America's leading safety advocate for more than 100 years.

"We know defensive drivers can help prevent every single car crash," said Deborah A.P. Hersman, NSC president and CEO. "NSC is pleased to partner with car2go in our mission to eliminate all deaths on our nation's roadways."

"Cities across America are committed to fulfilling Vision Zero's objective of eliminating road fatalities, and as the largest flexible carsharing service in North America we see it as car2go's responsibility to support this increasingly important initiative dedicated to advancing road safety for all," said Paul DeLong, CEO of car2go N.A.. "Expanding our road safety education pilot to all U.S. members is a big next step forward in car2go's ongoing efforts to promote road safety."

car2go's U.S. members will receive details via email today on how to complete the online road safety courses in exchange for car2go drive-time credit up to $15. 

car2go will continually evaluate the success of the road safety education pilot with the goal of making courses available to Canadian car2go members in the future.

In addition to the expanded road safety course pilot program, car2go does several other things to promote road safety, including:

• Road safety education: car2go leverages its social media channels and the car2go app messaging system to warn of hazardous driving conditions and share road safety best practices, like reminding car2go members about the "three-foot law" to protect cyclists as well as encouraging car2go members to use their opposite hand when exiting a car2go after parking in an on-street spot. These techniques are effective to help protect passing cyclists and encourages sharing the road.
• Zero tolerance for impaired driving: Since its inception, car2go has had a firm zero-tolerance policy against impaired driving. Any car2go member found to be driving impaired will have their membership permanently revoked, and car2go will assist local police in prosecuting for impaired driving.
• Using data for safety: car2go analyzes incident data and member feedback from over 8.75 million trips and 59 million miles U.S. and Canadian car2go members traveled in 2016 to help inform decisions on improving the service.
• One-way carsharing itself: Recent research revealed that one-way carsharing helps to reduce overall traffic congestion. U.C. Berkeley conducted the first ever impact study of one-way carsharing in North American cities, finding that each car2go vehicle removed up to 11 other vehicles from the road as well as up to 14 metric tons of greenhouse gases per car.
• Working with cities: car2go continues to collaborate with city transportation agencies and third party road safety advocacy organizations to advance Vision Zero initiatives.

Furthermore, car2go's network of shared Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles feature innovative safety technology that has helped Mercedes-Benz build a strong reputation as a producer of safe, innovative and comfortable vehicles.

In 2017, car2go grew its global customer base by 30-percent to 2.9 million members, and today the service boasts over three million members. car2go members rented car2go vehicles 24 million times in 2017. Every 1.2 seconds, a car2go member takes a trip in a car2go vehicle in one of 26 car2go cities spread across North America, Europe, and Asia.

According to an August, 2016 carsharing report¹ by Frost & Sullivan, the global carsharing market is expected to grow from 7.9 million people in 2015 to over 36 million people by 2025.

About car2go N.A., LLC

car2go N.A., LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, offers an innovative mobility solution in rapidly growing urban areas via a carsharing network of affordable, eco-friendly Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles. A flexible and "on demand" mode of transportation, car2go complements existing public transportation by bridging the gaps between the "first and last mile" of a member's commute. car2go members use a free, downloadable app on their smartphone to find, reserve, take and end trips in car2go vehicles.

Fast Company named car2go one of the most innovative transportation companies of 2018. TIME Magazine ranked the car2go app #5 on its "Top 10 Apps of 2017" list. Today, car2go's global operation is the largest, fastest-growing carsharing program in the world with more than three million registered members and a fleet of nearly 14,000 vehicles in 26 locations in North America, Europe and Asia. Further information on car2go is available at car2go.com and car2go.com/NA/en/press/.

¹ "Future of Carsharing Market to 2025", published August, 2016 by Frost & Sullivan

SOURCE car2go N.A., LLC