Kuala Lumpur, 5 February 2008 - Goodyear Malaysia Berhad along with Yayasan Belia Malaysia (National Youth Foundation) today carried out a Kempen Keselamatan Jalanraya (Road Safety Campaign) in conjunction with the Chinese New Year festive traffic rush and in support of the Government's Ops Sikap

YBhg Tan Sri Musa Hassan, Inspector General of Police Malaysia, kicked off the campaign for this festive season as part of a continuous effort to remind drivers returning to their hometowns to be more careful, at the Sungai Besi Toll Plaza.

The campaign is under the patronage of the Deputy Prime Minister's Office and Goodyear Malaysia Berhad is proud to be working in association with Yayasan Belia Malaysia in this effort.

Tan Sri Musa and Tuan Haji Zakariah Ahmad, Managing Director of Goodyear Malaysia, gave out road safety materials, Goodyear tire health check "Coin Test Kits" and goodie bags at the toll plaza to drivers heading out of the Klang Valley to their hometowns.

Road safety materials were also distributed simultaneously at the Gombak and Jalan Duta toll plazas.
The Goodyear "Coin Test Kits" are tools that help drivers check the tire tread depth of their vehicle's tires and determine if it is time to change them. This "Coin Test Kit" is part of Goodyear's "Take You Home Safely" campaign, which was launched last October in conjunction with the Hari Raya and school holiday season to help improve road safety in the country.

A total of 20,000 kits will be distributed at the toll plazas throughout the Chinese New Year and by the end of the festive season, Goodyear would have given out 50,000 pieces of "Coin Test Kits".

"We hope that the Kempen Keselamatan Jalanraya will encourage safe driving and continue to help reduce the rate of road accidents in the country, especially during the Chinese New Year festivity," said YBhg Dato' Suhaimi Ibrahim, Chairman of Yayasan Belia Malaysia.

Tuan Haji Zakariah Ahmad, Managing Director of Goodyear Malaysia attested to that and said, "We need to continuously remind the drivers to drive safely and to think of the safety of their loved ones' and others' when on the road." He urged the public to make use of the "Coin Test Kit" and perform the tire tread check themselves to ensure that their tires are in good condition or have them checked by trusted mechanics.

Goodyear has also extended the deadline of its Highway Hero Campaign, which was launched in October 2007, to end-June 2008. This campaign is to recognise professional heavy vehicle drivers who go beyond their call of duty in providing assistance during mishaps on the highways. The deeds of these good Samaritans often go unnoticed.
Fleet operators and members of the public are encouraged to nominate drivers of heavy vehicles who have performed heroic deeds on the highway and the nominee who has performed the most heroic deed will be awarded a plaque which carries the title "Goodyear Highway Hero 2008" and a cash prize of RM3,000.

Goodyear believes that good Samaritans on the road should be recognised. "We would like to give due recognition to professional heavy vehicle drivers who have been courteous and helpful on the road. The Goodyear Highway Hero Campaign is part of Goodyear's Corporate Social Responsibility initiative which focuses on safety, which is a core brand value of Goodyear," said Tuan Haji Zakariah. "We hope recognition such as the Goodyear Highway Hero Campaign will motivate our heavy vehicle drivers to make every effort to drive safely and extend a helping hand."