Global automotive supplier DENSO and its more than 23,000 employees in North America will mark the company’s Global Safety Month in May with a pair of new driving safety partnerships. Non-profits Safe Kids Worldwide and B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) will help identify and engage DENSO employees across the U.S. and Canada as local driving safety advocates. Both organizations will join NHRA driver Clay Millican for a mobile road show touring DENSO facilities throughout the year, starting with DENSO’s Battle Creek and Southfield, Michigan, locations later this week.
The partnerships underscore DENSO’s work both to create the latest vehicle safety technology and educate drivers about how to use it to reduce auto accidents. DENSO will donate a total of $225,000 to the two organizations as part of the partnerships.
“Crafting automotive technology that helps save lives is at the core of what we do, but we also need to make sure drivers have the knowledge to take advantage,” said Robert Townsend, director of external affairs at DENSO’s North American Regional Headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. “Safety needs to start at the local level, and these partnerships will empower our employees to engage their communities in meaningful dialogue about driving risks and safe behaviors.”
Safe Kids has nearly 30 years of experience educating communities about child safety on the road. The organization will develop comprehensive road safety toolkits for DENSO employees, providing the resources to become local road safety advocates. B.R.A.K.E.S. provides free hands-on driving education for teens and their parents. Both organizations will participate in the road show, showcasing their work and recruiting employees to deliver important safety messages in communities where DENSO employees live and work. DENSO will provide financial support for the B.R.A.K.E.S. Teen Pro-Active Driving School to host trainings in the communities where it operates. To date, B.R.A.K.E.S. has trained more than 25,000 new drivers across the country.
Millican and his DENSO-sponsored Top Fuel dragster also will provide an interactive experience for employees at each road show stop. Millican a passionate driving safety advocate, will engage with employees and showcase his dragster’s safety features, after which employees can take a seat in DENSO’s Future of Mobility virtual reality experience.
