General Motors Launches First-Ever Driver Safety Campaign in China

Program emphasizes importance of using safety belts and obeying traffic laws

DETROIT, Sept. 4, 2003; General Motors and the local government of Shanghai, China are launching the first driver safety campaign of its kind in China's biggest city.

The campaign, tailored to the needs and interests of Chinese drivers, includes educational messages about the life-saving benefits of wearing safety belts, following traffic regulations, safe driving practices and an explanation of how various vehicle safety features work to help protect drivers and their passengers. According to a GM poll conducted earlier this year, 48 percent of motorists in Shanghai admit that they do not always wear safety belts, despite local laws requiring their use.

China is the fastest-growing vehicle sales market in the world, and is expected to grow dramatically for some time. GM China, with regional headquarters in Shanghai, and its five joint venture partners sold 264,101 vehicles in 2002. Phil Murtaugh, GM China Group chairman and CEO, said driver safety programs will play an important role in helping to reduce crashes as vehicles become more abundant on China's roads.

"As the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, as well as a safety and technology leader, we believe we have a responsibility to help educate our customers in China -- many of whom are buying a vehicle for the first time in their lives -- about how to safely use our products," said Murtaugh. "While our vehicles are equipped with some of the most advanced safety technologies in the world, it also is essential that we show how these technologies and responsible driver behavior can work together to help make China's roads safer."

In coordination with the Shanghai government's 2003 Traffic Safety Education Program, GM China worked with the city's Police Traffic Management Department to plan the campaign. The initial phase of the program runs through early November and consists of two major parts. The first is a quiz that assesses motorists' knowledge of vehicle safety features, safe-driving practices and local traffic rules. Then, finalists from the quiz round will take part in a driving skills demonstration and test by trained instructors. One winner from that competition will win a vehicle produced by GM and a joint venture partner.

In addition, throughout the campaign, GM China and the Shanghai Police Traffic Management Department will distribute safety pamphlets to Shanghai drivers that describe auto safety technology, vehicle safety features, local traffic laws and other safe-driving practices.

Traffic crashes in all of China killed more than 109,000 people in 2002, up from about 106,000 deaths reported a year earlier.

In the first six months of 2003, however, traffic fatalities in China have dropped 7.6 percent from a year ago, according to China's Ministry of Public Security. Still, the ministry estimates that 77 percent of traffic deaths are caused by drivers who do not follow traffic rules.

In Shanghai this year, there have been 31,376 crashes, a 21-percent increase over last year. More than 90 percent were caused by driver behavior, according to police.

"With this program we expect to raise safety awareness among drivers in Shanghai, and hopefully save many lives in the process," said Murtaugh.