Allianz, the world's largest car insurer with more than 50 million insured vehicles, appeals to motorists to drive safely, as the time of year begins when road accidents become more frequent.
Drive safely!
"We think it is especially important to raise awareness for safer driving in the spring, because starting in April and May more road accidents happen where people are injured or killed," says Christoph Lauterwasser, CEO of the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT Automotive GmbH). "Even though the winter months can be quite dangerous for drivers because of bad weather and longer nights, people tend to leave their car in the garage more often. On the other hand, the motorcycle season begins in the spring. As soon as the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, there are more accidents."
Christoph Lauterwasser: "As soon as the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, there are more accidents"
Clear increase in road accident injuries
International statistics show that there is a clear increase in road accident injuries starting in the spring and peaking in the late summer. The winter months tend to have the fewest injuries in road accidents. For example in Germany, in January 2010 there were 20,804 casualties (deaths plus injuries), followed by 19,635 in February 2010. With early spring in March 2010, casualties rapidly rose to 27,754 and found their climax in July with 40,580 road users who died or were injured. For further information see German Road Safety Council (DVR). On a global level, more than 3,200 people die in traffic accidents worldwide every day and about 130,000 are seriously injured (WHO 2009) and this trend is rising.
These are many good reasons for Allianz to get active and launch its new website www.drivesafely.allianz.com. Emphasizing Allianz' ongoing commitment to road safety, fans and public can now follow the Formula One™ season from the angle of safety and gain insight into road safety in general. Videos, news features, expert commentary and pictures will be published throughout the season. The unique website highlights the relationship between race track safety and road safety and substantiates Allianz' global expertise in the field of mobility.
"Heightened awareness means safer driving, which means fewer accidents and finally fewer damages," says Christian Deuringer, Head of Global Brand Management at Allianz SE. "To us, road safety is a vital issue as we all build a risk-sharing community, and safe driving is beneficial to everyone of us. Allianz with its Formula One™ engagement can create valuable links between safety in Formula One™ and the everyday safety of drivers worldwide."
The Official Formula OneTM Safety Car with Allianz logo
Personal safe driving advice
On the new website, the team drivers of Allianz' partner the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula OneTM Team provide exclusive Formula One™ insights as well as their personal safe driving advice.
Allianz joined forces with MERCEDES GP PETRONAS starting with the 2011 Formula One™ season. To underscore Allianz' "drive safely" commitment, the Allianz logo is placed on two main security features in the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula OneTM cars: the Head and Neck Support System (HANS) and the seatbelts.
Since 2000, Allianz has been engaged in Formula One™. Thanks to this partnership, Allianz reaches a worldwide audience that is fascinated with automotive technology and interested in driving skills. Over the years, Allianz' commitment to road awareness has become the driving force behind the company's Formula One™ engagement.
As of 2010, the topics of risk management and road safety are now discernibly interlinked with Allianz on Formula One™ race tracks worldwide through the unprecedented branding of the Official Formula One™ Safety and Medical Car.
Visible commitment to road safety
"No one branded the Official Formula One™ Safety and Medical Car before Allianz did," says Deuringer. "This visible commitment to road safety is very important to us also as a signal to our 76 million customers all around the world."
Allianz, as one of the leading global car insurers, is a credible partner for road safety initiatives, based on years of in-house research and development. The AZT has been providing successful risk management, as well as accident and damage research, for over 70 years. The know-how from AZT research provides a real contribution to increasing safety, decreasing damage severity and reducing damage frequency. To help increase drivers' safety awareness, the Allianz Center for Technology is officially supporting the Road Safety Charta of the European Community.
Allianz also operates a global business line specializing in the cooperation with the automobile industry: Allianz Global Automotive is the leading insurance partner to automotive manufacturers and dealers providing a comprehensive range of insurance and mobility solutions for their clients all around the world. Allianz currently collaborates with 44 major brands across 28 countries – including Daimler Insurance Services GmbH.
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