Safety tips by Stohl, Minor and WidhölzlOMV, Central Europe's leading oil and gas group, together with ÖAMTC staged the first Move & Help driving safety training for journalists on July 6, 2007.
Prominent supporters were OMV rally drivers Manfred Stohl and Ilka
Minor as well as ski jumper Andreas Widhölzl. OMV thereby sends a signal for more responsible driving on Austria's roads. The aim is to increase the safety of children within road traffic.
OMV Move & Help is an educational program for children and youths and is being actively realised through numerous activities since 2004.
"Our focus in 2007 is on road safety for children and youths, since about 9,000 of them are in an accident each year in Europe alone. This activity shall send an active signal and contribute to their safety in road traffic," explains Brigitte Mühlwisch, Head of Corporate Sponsorship of OMV.
Together with Manfred Stohl and an ÖAMTC instructor, braking and change manoeuvres as well as stabilisation measures were exercised. "A fast reaction is especially important in dangerous situations. A good training helps to prepare optimally for exceptional circumstances, Manfred Stohl said, comparing his rally activities with the daily challenges of road traffic.
His co-driver Ilka Minor had practical tips in store for the participants in their behaviour as passengers.
"Anticipatory driving is also the responsibility of a passenger. At the same time it is important to keep a clear head in difficult situations in order to avoid panicking."
Andreas Widhölzl, as member of the OMV-sponsored ÖSV ski jumping team, sees driving safety training as an effective tool to increase road safety on Austria's streets for all. "Children as pedestrians are especially endangered in road traffic. Therefore it is all the more important to participate in activities like these," says Widhölzl.
Within OMV Move & Help there will also be an international gas station activity at the beginning of the 2007/2008 school year: more than 200,000 reflector bands will be offered for sale at all OMV gas stations in Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia, Croatia, Austria, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
The proceeds will benefit educational and road safety projects by Caritas, SOS Children's Village, and UNICEF.
Source OMV
