Tire Industry Helping New Drivers Become Safe Drivers

Rubber Manufacturers Association Offers Online Tire Safety Curriculum

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2007; Driver education teachers across the nation can take advantage of an effective online resource to help teach new drivers about tire care.

The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), which represents tire manufacturers, developed the downloadable tire care curriculum with Young Minds Inspired. More than 16,000 high school driver education teachers, high school auto mechanic instructors, and commercial driving instructors were notified by postcard of the product's availability on RMA's web site, www.betiresmart.org.

Teachers responding to the mailer by October 1 can receive a free tire gauge to help them demonstrate how fast and easy it is to check tire pressure. RMA also offers free Be Tire Smart brochures to those who respond to the mailing.

The updated curriculum is based on RMA's Be Tire Smart -- Play Your PART tire care education program. "PART" stands for Pressure, Alignment, Rotation and Tread -- the four key elements of proper tire care. The educational program is designed to make learning about tire care hands-on and beneficial by including a teacher's guide, activity sheets, reproducible student worksheets, and a Be Tire Smart Wall Poster.

A 2001 RMA survey found that students who are taught the driver education tire safety curriculum were 25% better informed than students who did not participate in the teaching. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under inflated tires are attributed to crashes that result in 660 fatalities and 33,000 injuries each year.

"Learning about proper tire care and maintenance right from the start will increase the chances that drivers will practice tire safety for a lifetime," said Donald B. Shea, RMA President and CEO.

The Be Tire Smart program is funded by RMA's tire manufacturer members: Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., Continental Tire North America, Inc., Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Michelin North America, Pirelli North America, Inc., Toyo Tire North America and Yokohama Tire Corporation.

The Rubber Manufacturers Association is the national trade association for the rubber products industry. Its members include more than 80 companies that manufacture various rubber products, including tires. All RMA press releases can be accessed at www.rma.org.