Michelin And FIA Announce Recipient Of $100,000 Grant To Increase Teen Tire Safety Awareness

MIAMI, March 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin and Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) today announced at the Formula E Miami ePrix that ADTSEA (the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association) is the winner of a $100,000 Michelin/FIA Teen Road Safety Grant.

Automobile accidents are the No. 1 killer of teens in America, with more than 5,000 deaths each year.* Of the 2.2 million vehicle accidents taking place annually, 12 percent are among inexperienced drivers and involve tire-related issues such as insufficient tire tread or improperly inflated tires.** In addition to this grant, Michelin and FIA are making resources available at beyondthedrivingtest.com to help teens and parents brush up on their car and tire maintenance skills.

The grant program is a significant new initiative to improve the safety of teen drivers by teaching proper tire maintenance. In addition to continuing the goals of Michelin's Beyond the Driving Test campaign, this first year of the program celebrates the North American debut of the FIA-sanctioned Formula E Championship in Miami and Long Beach, Calif., by helping to create a lasting legacy in those communities. Formula E is the highest class of competition for electrically powered cars.

ADTSEA is the professional association representing traffic safety educators throughout the United States and abroad. It was chosen to receive the entire $100,000 in grant funding for its proposal to develop a tire safety and maintenance training module and deliver the instruction as part of a one-day workshop for 200 driver education instructors in Miami and Long Beach. This workshop will also be delivered at ADTSEA's national conference in July which hundreds of instructors are expected to attend.

"We are pleased to award the inaugural Michelin/FIA Teen Road Safety Grant to ADTSEA. Their proposal can easily be scaled to reach driver education teachers across the country and sustained well into the future. Through ADTSEA's reach and commitment to quality education, we can help close a dangerous safety gap among teen drivers and create a lasting community legacy," said Pete Selleck, chairman and president of Michelin North America.

The one-day sessions will focus on how to teach tire safety and maintenance and how to incorporate this training module into the ADTSEA 3.0 Driver Education Curriculum. Participants will receive a free copy of the curriculum, including lesson plans, learning activities, visuals and videos – customized with Michelin tire safety materials. As part of the session, hands-on activities will "teach the teachers" how to check tire pressure, tread depth and tire condition. Teachers will be encouraged to take this information back to their own communities and conduct workshops for other teachers. The tire safety and maintenance module will be available on the ADTSEA website for free download.

"ADTSEA is honored to be awarded this grant from Michelin and the FIA, and we look forward to adding tire safety to our core curriculum," said Allen Robinson, chief executive officer of ADTSEA. "This is a natural extension of our mission to equip the novice driver with the skills to begin the lifelong learning process of driving in today's challenging highway transportation system."

Michelin has partnered with the FIA since 2011 through a shared commitment to innovation and road safety and is a founding partner of Formula E. A unique feature of the Formula E series is the plan to leave a lasting legacy behind in the communities where the races are held.

The two organizations are also committed to rallying the industry, calling for all 50 states to include tire safety information in their official driver's education materials by 2020.

About Michelin
Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelinman.com) employs more than 22,500 and operates 20 major manufacturing plants.

About Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)
The FIA is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation of the world's leading motoring organizations. Founded in 1904, with headquarters in Paris, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is a non-profit making association. It brings together more than 230 national motoring and sporting organizations from over 134 countries on five continents. Its member clubs represent the interests of millions of motorists and their families. The FIA is also the governing body for motor sport. It administers the rules and regulations (including safety regulations) for all international motor sport.

* 2012 NHTSA study focused on tire problems as experienced by light vehicles in the pre-crash phase.

** Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System: 2012.

For more information, visit www.MichelinMedia.com.

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