Las Vegas City Council Declares October 30 'Hands on the Wheel Day'
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- COOPER TIRE & RUBBER
COMPANY (NYSE: CTB) today announced that it will partner with Champ Car to
promote the Hands on the Wheel program through its network of tire dealers
across North America. Cooper Tire Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Phil Caris made the announcement at the 2007 SEMA Show, the biggest
automotive specialty products trade event in the world.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010404/COOPERLOGO )
"Hands on the Wheel delivers a message of driving safety that is
important to all of us at Cooper Tire," Caris said. "As a presenting
sponsor of the Champ Car Atlantic Series, we are excited to work with Champ
Car and our network of tire dealers to encourage all drivers to take The
Pledge against distracted driving."
Also during the news conference at the SEMA Show, Las Vegas City
Councilman Ricki Y. Barlow presented a proclamation from the city declaring
October 30, 2007 "Hands on the Wheel Day." Also on hand to participate in
the news conference were Champ Car President and CEO Steve Johnson, Champ
Car World Series driver Alex Tagliani and Champ Car Atlantic Championship
driver Frankie Muniz, who previously starred in the "Malcolm In The Middle"
television series.
The Hands on the Wheel campaign initially was introduced by Champ Car
in August to advocate safe driving practices through an umbrella program
that uses Champ Car World Series and Champ Car Atlantic Championship
drivers, teams, events, partners and sponsors. The program will educate
drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, with an emphasis on text
messaging. Public service announcements featuring Champ Car and Atlantic
drivers and partners, including Cooper Tire President and CEO Roy Armes,
will help promote Hands on the Wheel. At the heart of the initiative is a
pledge against distracted driving, which can be accessed at
HandsOnTheWheel.org.
Cooper Tire plans to promote the program by making pledge forms and
educational materials about distracted driving available to the public,
particularly young drivers, through its dealers. The company also will
distribute campaign information during stops for the Cooper Mobile Tour and
will include Hands on the Wheel information on the company Web site.
"We believe there is an important need to bring the issue of distracted
driving to the forefront, especially to young drivers," said Johnson. "We
think the global reach of our series, our diverse group of drivers and our
terrific partners like Cooper Tire will help us reach young drivers with a
message of safe driving. I'd like to thank Cooper Tire and its dealers for
their ongoing support of our series and this initiative."
According to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and
the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, some form of
driver inattention was involved in almost 80 percent of car crashes. In
addition, a Zogby International poll in the U.S. found that 66 percent of
adults 18 to 24 years old reported sending a text message while driving.
During the news conference at SEMA, Cooper Tire personnel as well as
Tagliani and Muniz signed the pledge. In addition, visitors to the Cooper
Tire booth (#40341) during the show were invited to sign a
specially-wrapped Champ Car Atlantic Series car as a symbol of their own
pledge.
"Today, I join my fellow athletes in committing to keep both hands on
the wheel while driving," said Muniz. "As a professional driver, I know the
importance of safety and control while driving, whether on the track or on
the road. I urge others to visit HandsOnTheWheel.org, or your local Cooper
Tire dealer, to make this same pledge."
"It takes a lot of precision and concentration to handle our race cars
and that is what we want people to do everyday while driving their own
cars," added Tagliani. "We just need to raise the level of awareness so
when people get into their cars, they remember to keep their Hands on the
Wheel. I took the pledge along with the other Champ Car drivers earlier
this year and I am taking it again and inviting everyone that has not done
so already to do the same."
About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is a global company that specializes in
the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of passenger car, light truck,
medium truck tires and subsidiaries that specialize in motorcycle and
racing tires. With headquarters in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper Tire has 66
manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design facilities within
its family of companies located around the world. For more information,
visit Cooper Tire's web site at http://www.coopertire.com.
About Champ Car
Champ Car operates and sanctions both the Champ Car World Series and
the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by
Mazda. The Champ Car World Series features some of the greatest
international race car drivers and most exciting open-wheel driving events.
The drivers compete for the prestigious Vanderbilt Cup, which is awarded to
the champion of the Champ Car World Series. The series is contested on
temporary street circuits and permanent road courses throughout North
America, Europe, Mexico and Australia. The Champ Car Atlantic Championship
is the premier open-wheel development series in North America, featuring
some of the best up-and-coming open-wheel talent in the world, and features
a $2 million bonus for its champion to use toward a ride in the following
year's Champ Car World Series. For more info, go to http://www.champcar.ws.
SOURCE Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
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Related links:
http://www.coopertireandrubber.com
http://www.HandsOnTheWheel.org http://www.champcar.ws
Photo Notes:http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010404/COOPERLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Michelle Zeisloft of Cooper Tire,
+1-419-424-4251, mrzeisloft@coopertire.com; or Nate Siebens of
Champ Car, 1-317-536-5049, nsiebens@champcar.ws
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