Five years after being kicked off, the VIA Program – initiated by the TotalEnergies and Michelin Corporate Foundations – continues its movement worldwide to raise awareness of safe mobility among as many young people as possible and improve their safety on their way to and from school as a priority.
Road accidents are the leading cause of death among young people aged 5-29 worldwide. The VIA Program is based on participative learning, which enables young people to understand the risks they are exposed to and therefore reduce them. VIA presents them with real case scenarios, specific to the issues of each country.
The VIA Program was rolled out progressively, with 200,000 young people made aware of road risks by summer 2022. The deployment is now picking up speed and the milestone of 500,000 has just been reached. 40 countries across the five continents have deployed the program in 1,500 schools and youth centers, in partnership with 40 or so local NGOs.
"The TotalEnergies and Michelin Corporate Foundations want to take tangible actions for young people, improve conditions for safe mobility around schools, and enable young people to speak out on this subject. This is why we are proud to have reached the milestone of 500,000 students made aware of road risks as part of the VIA program."
Abdoul Wahab, Corporate Senior Advisor, Road Safety of the Citizenship Engagement Division at TotalEnergies.
In addition to the awareness-raising process, the new objective of VIA is to encourage the most motivated young people to take complementary training and become ambassadors for safer mobility. They will be able to deliver their message to official bodies and authorities and to their peers to help change behaviors.
As a major player in road activities, TotalEnergies has made safety a priority. In each of the Company’s affiliates, employees are putting their all into supporting the VIA Program, particularly through the employee volunteer program Action!, by going to talk to young people. “The management and employees of TotalEnergies Libya, have pledged to make this initiative a success. With unwavering devotion, we will continue to raise awareness of road safety issues in our community by promoting a safer future for everyone,” declared Rana BADI, an employee at TotalEnergies and manager of the Action! program in Libya.
