Famous for driving at speeds of 300 km/h as 7 times world champion and Formula 1 legend, Michael Schumacher hardly springs to mind as the most obvious spokesperson for road safety. Nevertheless, it appears that the issue is one that he takes very seriously, as he stressed at the launch of the UN decade for action on road safety on 12 May in Strasbourg. The campaign aims to reduce road fatalities by 50% over the next 10 years.

Schumacher stressed that the advances in car technology will have a significant role to play in this but that European drivers musn’t forget their own reponsibility in ensuring they keep themselves and others safe on the roads. He stated that « a good driver is somebody who drives safely, which means driving with the brain rather than showing that you drive fast. »

Other racing drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are also involved in the campaign, which has been launched around the world. According to the UN, one person is killed or seriously injured every 6 seconds on the world’s roads, making this campaign and the publicity Schumacher brings to it extremely welcome. More information about the campaign can be found here : http://www.makeroadssafe.org/Pages/...

Photo : (c) European Union 2011, European Parliament