Tikkurila's Safe Light project aims to save children in Russian road traffic

The social project Safety on the roads initiated by Tikkurila Oyj's subsidiary OOO Tikkurila in Russia continues with a second stage. Tikkurila promotes Finnish culture in Russia via the use of reflectors on outer clothing. The Safe light project will accompany children during summer holidays and make them visible on the roads. During the project realization, 10,000 reflectors will be handed out to children.

The safety project is a bright example of how Tikkurila’s Corporate Responsibility program works in practice. Currently Tikkurila's project is supported by the federal program "Improvement of traffic safety during 2006–2012" in Russia.

"The key idea of the Safe Light project is to save children’s lives and to reduce the amount of road traffic accidents. We want to pay special attention to safety issues and promote the use of reflectors on outer clothing. We believe that the reflectors that we distribute to children during interactive lessons at schools will improve the safety level on the roads in general," says Anfisa Borisenko, Communications Director of OOO Tikkurila.
 
The social project Safety on the roads started in autumn 2009, and it is currently developing and successfully expanding its coverage area. In spring 2010, Safe light flashed in two big cities, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. In May, 4–6th grade students from ten schools in St. Petersburg took part in interactive lessons provided by Tikkurila and carried out in the form of a game. During such lessons children were reminded of safety rules that are vital before summer holidays.

The best pupils got an opportunity to take part in an extraordinary action in the center of St. Petersburg, currently a city with 4.6 million inhabitants. For a moment the main street, Nevskiy Prospect, turned into a "green wave". Everywhere the "green light" was lit in the city center as a symbol of safety only for pedestrians. Road police officers stopped the traffic, the lights became immediately green and more than 250 pupils from schools in light-reflecting Tikkurila vests started one of the numerous crossings at the pedestrian zone across the main city street.

The most essential outcome of the project was the children showing their positive attitude towards safety rules and making their declaration about this safety issue. The temporary traffic stoppage was aimed to attract drivers' and pedestrians' attention to observe safety rules and respect each other on the roads.

According to statistics, the ratio between those who have died and those with injuries in road traffic accidents is 3–5 times greater in Russia than in countries with developed economics. For example, Finnish people have been using reflectors as a usual part of outer clothing for more than 40 years already. After Finland passed the law on obligatory use of reflectors in the dark in 2000, the amount of traffic accidents with children in the dark decreased by 20 %; this index was achieved during 2000–2004. In Scandinavia, light-reflecting badges are distributed free of charge and placed in special containers located in supermarkets, and Finnish schoolchildren get their obligatory reflectors free. Such practice is almost absent in Russia.

All students taking part in the safety project in St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg were given bright and stylish bandanas with a light-accumulating image and other colorful presents, which will improve their visibility on the roads. The project events were broadcasted by leading radio stations, and the project news were published in the local media in Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg. Some media representatives even mentioned the event as the best record related to children and safety.    


For further information on the project please contact:

OOO Tikkurila

Anfisa Borisenko, Communications Director, SBU East
Tel. +7 812 326 9212, ext. 5541, +7 921 961 9525

Nadezhda Vedernikova, Trade Marketing Manager
Tel. +7 812 326 9212, ext. 9597

Source:
State program "Safety on the road in 2006–2012", Ministry for Transport and Communications, Finland
www.mintc.fi/english


Tikkurila provides consumers, professionals and industrial users with user-friendly and environmentally sustainable solutions for protection and decoration. Tikkurila is a strong regional player that aims to be the leading paint company in the Nordic area and Eastern Europe including Russia. – Tikkurila inspires you to color your life.

www.tikkurila.com

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