The Tyre Safety and Eco Station 2011 was a huge success. Bridgestone conducted Road shows in the GCC and Egypt (Muscat, Doha, Riyadh, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Dubai & Cairo). The campaign which encouraged drivers to develop good habits for tyre care and maintenance, and learn about the positive impact on the environment, had a widespread appeal to people from all walks of life.
As part of the Tyre Safety and Eco Station, Bridgestone has conducted over 6400 sample quantitative research in 2011, which has revealed that drivers generally do not check or change their tyres in time. In order to highlight the importance of Tyre Safety, the Ministry of Interior in Qatar; the Traffic Safety Department supported the road show in Doha by welcoming tyre safety initiatives, thus making people aware of the dangers of not having car tyres maintained and replaced in time.

Children were also invited to the station for various entertainment and activities, including face painting as well as drawing related to the protection of the environment which they enjoyed while their parents learn about tyre safety.

Bridgestone continues its commitment in 2012 to the Tyre Safety & Eco-friendliness campaign in the region to help families and drivers to make the roads a safer place and lessen the road traffic accidents, for the sustainability of our future and current generations.

The objectives of this ‘Tyre Safety and Eco Station Road Show’ for 2012 are: Tyre Maintenance, Selection of Right Tyre, environmental conscious Tyres, Environment Friendly culture & awareness.
The road shows which commence in Doha from 15th of March 2012 are a big step in promoting road safety in the region.

Tyre Safety, Eco Station Calendar for 2012
Qatar [Doha] : 15th,16th and 17th March, 2012
Oman [Muscat] : 4th, 5th and 6th April, 2012
Bahrain [Bahrain] : 19th,20th and 21st April, 2012
Kuwait [Kuwait] : 30th and 31st May and 1st June, 2012
Saudi Arabia [Jeddah] : 20th and 21st June, 2012
United Arab Emirates [Dubai] : 12th and 13th July, 2012

Bridgestone’s commitment to Tyre Safety is communicated in various ways to effectively reach the public. One of which is the direct encouragement on road safety with company employees through Tyre Safety education and helpful demonstrations.

Bridgestone Tyre Safety corporate seminars had shared the benefits of knowing and practicing tyre safety to Unilever Gulf FZE which was then followed by its local distributors (Al Gurg Unilever – Dubai and Thani Murshid Unilever – Abu Dhabi) as well as BP Middle East employees, in the UAE. The course of the seminar provided basic information about tyres –its construction, causes of damages, and proper tyre care & maintenance. Live demonstration on how to change a vehicle’s tyre in case of puncture or tyre failure was also given to all participants for their useful application in the future.

In collaboration with Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF), Bridgestone is proudly sponsoring Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah, United Arab of Emirates. Recognizing the importance of biodiversity and environmental stability, Bridgestone aims to help raise awareness of the mountain-protected area and its importance to UAE’s natural heritage.

The Wadi Wurayah is known to shelter a rich diversity of rare and endangered of mountainous and freshwater habitats and species. It provides opportunities for the sustenance and revival of local livelihoods which lies within WWF’s Global 200 Eco-regions of Arabian Highlands and Shrub lands.

Bridgestone’s sponsorship of the Wadi Wurayah Project has allowed the purchase of hi-tech cameras which keep an eye on the Wadi and its rich biodiversity.

From June 2010 to February 2011, a total of 1,905 days of camera activity –over 5,000 photos were taken by the cameras placed around nine locations at the wadi. The camera traps provided success in the on-going research work of the nation’s first mountain-protected area wherein several photos of the Caracal, Red Fox, Blanford’s Fox, Gordon’s Wildcat, Arabian Tahr, Brandt’s Hedgehog, and several species of birds (e.g. Sand Partridge, Shrub Warbler, and Hume’s Wheater) were retrieved, adding incredible value to the findings of this project.

Bridgestone sponsored four schools’ educational field trip to the mountain protected area with full support of EWS-WWF (Emirates Wildlife Society & World Wildlife Fund) and the local government of Fujairah. The educational activities help encouraged the young minds and hearts of the future generations to help save and protect the environment, by teaching them the geographical history and wildlife existence in the area.

Crown Prince of Fujairah’s Appreciation

In May 2011, Bridgestone was awarded for their support given to protect the mountain area of Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. The recognition was delivered during the ‘Ramsar Convention in West Asia’, which was attended by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, HE Dr Rashed Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, and HE Engineer Mohammad Saif Al Afkham, Director of Fujairah Municipality.

Contributing to the Conservation Efforts

Bridgestone is sponsoring two Hawksbill turtles (named “Otohime” and “Journey”) as part of Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) led ‘Marine Turtle Conservation Project’. Listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, researchers from EWS-WWF have tagged 24 Hawksbill turtles this year to better understand the needs of these creatures and to help identify their foraging and nesting grounds as one of the keys to their future survival. The migratory patterns of these turtles will be monitored throughout the waters of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman. The turtles’ journeys will be tracked and updated online at www.gulfturtles.com