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All in for Road Safety

As road accidents are the leading cause of death for young people, and since TotalEnergies has close ties to cars and drivers, TotalEnergies Foundation is committed – in partnership with other major groups, NGOs, institutions and nonprofits – to leading innovative initiatives and supporting effective solutions for safer roads. Here, we take a closer look at our partnerships and initiatives.

Working on Several Issues With All Stakeholders in the Road Sector

Each year, almost 1.35 million people1 die in road traffic accidents around the world – particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Road safety is therefore a major public issue, and even more so for young people.

However, it is a complex issue to grasp given the wide variety of stakeholders involved (e.g., road users and professional drivers, communities, authorities and police forces) and the initiatives to be implemented (e.g., improving management capacities, infrastructure, vehicle safety, road user conduct and emergency services). To make roads safer, we need a multi-faceted approach.

The TotalEnergies Foundation global program of citizenship initiatives seeks to provide real-world solutions for young people, and focuses on innovative initiatives in its host regions. Its main priority areas are:

  • Youth education: 
    • VIA, the global awareness program implemented and co-developed with the Michelin Corporate Foundation, is in place in many of the Group’s host countries. The program is based on an innovative and participatory approach to learning aimed at raising young people’s awareness on road hazards. 
  • Raising awareness among target groups:
    • In partnership with NGO Amend, TotalEnergies Foundation is trialing a training program for professional motorcycle taxi drivers in Tanzania, Togo, Senegal and Guinea Conakry.
    • Prevention initiatives targeting the general public have been set up with nonprofit Association Prévention Routière (aPR) at days devoted to safety, occupational health and road safety.
  • Involving and developing the skills of local stakeholders:
    • Through its African Chapter, Global Alliance works in collaboration with the International Road Federation (IRF) to develop the skills and working tools of local NGOs, providing:
      • Mentoring and assistance in fundraising for NGOs tackling road safety issues.
      • The implementation of a free digital sharing and collaborative platform for NGOs.
    • Partnerships between local stakeholders are formed through the IRF to help improve road safety.
    • Together with the Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF), TotalEnergies Foundation promotes the initiatives of the African Road Safety Observatory through a range of training programs targeting various local stakeholders, including authorities, police forces, NGOs and journalists.

 

Since TotalEnergies has close ties to cars and drivers, and is a respected and recognized stakeholder, TotalEnergies Foundation also leads advocacy initiatives with authorities to help improve infrastructure and the regulatory environment:

  • Participation in the FIA’s High Level Panel.
  • Participation in international bodies (UNRSC-WHO) and international funds (UNRSF, GRSF).
  • Talks to local stakeholders (businesses, authorities, etc.) and within road safety bodies.

Testing, Adapting and Rolling Out Grassroots Initiatives

To promote road safety, it is important to assess the real-world effectiveness of the initiatives in place, and to adapt the measures to each country, context and target group. That is why TotalEnergies Foundation works in the Company’s host regions to support pilot programs and grassroots initiatives, which are trialed locally so as to assess their impacts and subsequently rolled out on a wider scale if successful. This approach was adopted for the VIA program, initially tested in France in an elementary school, a middle school and an École de Production vocational school, and then rolled out to 19 Ecoles de Production. The program will soon be introduced in 41 schools (with priority given to Ecoles de Production, France’s Apprentice Training Centers and L’Industreet), as well as eight schools in Romania, 90 in India, and 20 in Kenya. Meanwhile, NGO Amend is adapting this program for implementation in Africa, first targeting high-school students in Tanzania, and then in Togo and Guinea Conakry. Following pilot trials in India, Cameroon and France in 2019, the program has now been rolled out in 12 countries and is expected to raise awareness among 100,000 young people by end-2022. To achieve this goal, instructors have received training (including e-learning courses provided during lockdowns), and a dedicated website has been created to provide self‑training (e-learning) modules and practical and interactive examples.

Engaging Young People

Similarly, TotalEnergies Foundation supports Youth for Road Safety (YOURS). In February 2020, this NGO organized the second World Youth Assembly for Road Safety in Stockholm, where 167 young people representing 74 countries adopted a youth road safety charter. Today, YOURS is contributing to the formation of the Youth Coalition for Road Safety, which will help to convey their message at regional and international events and select local projects to receive funding. For example, as part of the #ArtforRoadSafety challenge organized in Egypt, Uganda and Senegal, three African artists agreed to use their fame to support an awareness campaign targeting young people on social media.

Championing a Collective Approach

Given that road safety is a widespread issue that affects us all, TotalEnergies Foundation has decided to adopt a collective approach to share viewpoints, join forces and pool resources in order to promote effective solutions. The VIA program was therefore co-founded with the Michelin Corporate Foundation, bringing on board many other partners, including the Global Road Safety Partnership, the NGO React in Romania, the Red Cross in Kenya, and United Way Mumbai in India.

In addition, for each initiative set up, TotalEnergies Foundation strives to form partnerships with local stakeholders from every country so that together they can roll out the measures on a larger scale.

TotalEnergies Foundation also supports projects that focus on networking for maximum impact, such as the Global Alliance project. This initiative aims to mobilize 65 African NGOs committed to road safety and encourage experiences and information to be shared so that the current situation can be improved across Africa, where road accident numbers are particularly high.

Did You Know?

TotalEnergies has developed rigorous procedures for vehicle technical requirements and driver training. The Company, which supplies fuel to 4 million road users every day, believes that it has a responsibility to provide its expertise in support of road safety.

TotalEnergies does this by working in partnership with leading stakeholders, and is:

  • An active member of the Global Road Safety Partnership.
  • A founding member of the U.N. Road Safety Trust Fund.
  • A member of the FIA (International Automobile Federation) High Level Panel for Road Safety, which brings together decision-makers from across the business world, international institutions and NGOs, and includes members of the FIA network.
  • A partner of the French Ministry of the Interior as part of the “safer roads” campaign.
  • A member of the International Road Federation.

1 WHO – 2018: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565684