BMW continues to raise awareness of importance of buckling up to families at X2 family event

Following the success of its award-winning �Stay Alert. Stay Alive.’ road safety campaign, BMW Group Middle East continued to raise awareness of the importance of buckling up by distributing over 200 complimentary child booster cushions at �X2’, an event that brought together over 3,200 families with multiples (twins, triplets and quadruplets etc) last weekend.

Aimed at enlightening audiences on the importance of wearing seatbelts and using child safety restraints in cars, BMW together with its importer AGMC gave away booster cushions to visiting families with children aged between 6 and 11 years old and weighing between 22kg and 36kg (the internationally recognised safest weights). BMW also teamed up with the Emirates Driving Institute (EDI) to teach people about the consequences of not wearing a seatbelt in an accident with live demonstrations via a seatbelt convincer.

Various other activities also took place throughout the two-day event, including a Kids Mini City where children had the chance to drive miniature BMW and MINI racer bikes. These �Baby Racers’ were aimed to help educate the younger visitors about road safety while adding some fun to the day's event.

Information captured during the event emphasised the need for ongoing road safety education. Almost a third (32%) of people surveyed admitted to not always wearing a seatbelt as a passenger and cited varying reasons for why not, including: the perception that seatbelts are uncomfortable (46%); unnecessary (15%), uncool (15%) and that they wrinkle clothes (15%). The survey also revealed that 18% thought that as drivers, it was not their responsibility to ensure that their passengers buckle up.

Leanne Blanckenberg, Corporate Communications Manager for BMW Group Middle East commented: “Numerous campaigns have been implemented to address the road safety issues and to date have produced some very positive results; however BMW Group believes that it's not only up to the Government to create and enforce campaigns but that we all have a role to play. That is why initiating our own campaign and participating in local events such as �X2’ is so important; as they enable us to reach thousands of people so we are able to enlighten them on the importance of buckling up themselves, and all passengers.�

�Stay Alert. Stay Alive.’ road safety campaign was launched in the UAE in 2010 with a focus on educating the public about the importance of wearing seatbelts and appropriate safety restraints while travelling by car.

To date, the campaign has been a resounding success with over 6,340 child safety booster seats distributed to UAE parents through public awareness events and more than 2000 students have participated in awareness roadshow events.

The initiative also won second place in the RTA Sustainable Transport Award in 2010 and was shortlisted in the 2011Gulf Traffic Awards. The campaign has also been implemented in Jordan and Oman, and next month in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.


The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 25 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2011, the BMW Group sold about1.67 million cars and more than 113,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2011 was euro 7.38 billion on revenues amounting to euro 68.82 billion. At 31 December 2011, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 100,000 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last seven years.

TS
03.04.2012
Dubai - Cairo - Munich