The FIA Academy has awarded its annual World Prize for Road Safety, the Environment and Mobility to global tyre company Bridgestone for its outstanding contribution to the promotion of road safety.

The award is given for exceptional merit or endeavour by individuals or organisations involved in motoring and mobility. The FIA Academy, which is made up of eight senior members of the FIA and its national automobile clubs, gave the award to Bridgestone primarily for the promotion of its worldwide Think Before You Drive campaign.

The trophy, a crystal globe surrounded by a silver-plated flower, was presented to Bridgestone’s Shoshi Arakawa in a VIP pre-awards ceremony at the FIA Gala in the Monaco Sporting Club.

Shoshi Arakawa, CEO and President, Bridgestone Corporation, said: "I'm extremely pleased and proud to accept this prestigious award on behalf of Bridgestone. Since 2005, we have teamed up with the FIA Foundation to actively promote road safety through the Think Before You Drive campaign, which has been conducted in almost 80 countries successfully. We are continuously pursuing our road safety initiatives for the future, emphasising Bridgestone's commitment to safety and contributing to the global goal of reducing the number of road deaths and casualties."

Max Mosley, FIA President, said: "Bridgestone's commitment to the development and promotion of road safety makes them a worthy recipient of the FIA World Prize. We look forward to continuing our campaign partnership as the FIA and the FIA Foundation seek to progress improvements in road safety around the world."

The Think Before You Drive campaign message, promoted in conjunction with the FIA Foundation, has reached every region of the world and is backed by FIA member clubs from more than 60 countries.

The campaign, which was launched in 2005, identifies the main causes of serious or fatal crashes and urges motorists to implement simple safety measures before they drive. These are actions which take just a few seconds but which can also save lives, such as checking tyres, fastening seat belts, using child restraints and adjusting head rests. These safety messages have been promoted by major motor sport personalities including seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher as well as fellow drivers Rubens Barrichello and Mark Webber.

In addition to promoting this campaign, Bridgestone has been a major advocate for road safety in general. It is a member of the Global Road Safety Partnership and Shigeo Watanabe, board member and former CEO and President, has been an active participant in the Commission on Global Road Safety.

Last year's World Prize was awarded to Pietro Lunardi, Italy's Minister for Infrastructures and Transport, for his exceptional work in Road Safety in Italy.