Toyota signs European Road Safety Charter
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) today signed the European Road Safety Charter in Brussels, Belgium, signalling the company's commitment to help reduce accidents, deaths and injuries on Europe's roads. TME President and CEO Tadashi Arashima attended the signing ceremony with Mr. Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission. "As a major vehicle manufacturer, Toyota Motor Europe recognises its responsibility for road safety" said Mr. Arashima. "We wanted to sign the Charter to make a visible demonstration, as a good European corporate citizen, of our determination to help Europe progress towards meeting its road safety objectives," he added.The European Road Safety Charter is part of an EU-wide strategy to reduce the number of road accident casualties by 50% by 2010. In 2005, 41,600 people died in road traffic accidents across the EU, some 1.9 million people were injured, and the economic cost of traffic accidents was estimated at &euro200 billion.
As a signatory to the Charter, TME has agreed to undertake a series of initiatives both within the company and towards civil society as a whole to help improve road safety. In respect of the company, TME will:
o Implement training courses to instruct national sales companies' technicians on how best to promote active and passive safety across all brand products to customers.
o Introduce safety-related principles in its Code of Conduct requiring formal commitment by all direct employees.
In respect of civil society, and amongst other actions, TME will:
o Deliver TOP 25, a pan-European awareness campaign about the dangers of driving under the effect of alcohol and drugs.
o Support a model communication campaign being developed by the U.K.'s Royal College of Art to define and communicate road safety issues for older drivers and pedestrians.
o Deliver a road safety education programme for children and drivers in Turkey by distributing education kits, building a traffic park and establishing driving lessons through the active participation of Toyota retailers.
o Support the European Transport Safety Council's research and communication programme to assess EU Member States' road safety performance, and in addition promote high-level debates to kick-start discussion of key road safety themes in relevant Member States.
In 2005, Toyota supported the 2005 European Red Cross Road Safety Campaign ("Bringing European Road Safety Together"), which sought to contribute to a reduction in the number of people injured and killed in road traffic accidents by raising awareness of road safety and promoting first aid skills. In addition to its financial contribution, Toyota provided the four vehicles for use in the campaign's road safety tour of Europe.