MotoGP: Ducati and Tim together for safety #Timguardaavanti

The #TIMguardaavanti project launched by TIM and Ducati to promote conscious use of mobile phones while driving was presented today in Misano, during the first day of free practice for the TIM Grand Prix of San Marino and Riviera di Rimini.

Present at this press conference for the Media were Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Factory) and Andrea Iannone (Ducati Pramac), Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Sports Director and Cristiano Habetswallner, Sponsorship Manager of Telecom Italia.

The increasingly widespread trend of answering cell phones, reading and writing messages, checking and posting content on social networks and even taking photographs while driving puts safety at risk. The initiative, dedicated to children, motorcyclists and motorists, therefore aims to promote good practices to implement when in the car or on two wheels.

The #TIMguardaavanti project will be supported by a series of initiatives and will have as testimonials the Ducati team riders and personalities from the world of sport and entertainment who will make videos and go to schools to raise awareness among young people on the topic. A dedicated portal www.TIMguardaavanti.it will also be created where content to support the project will be published.

“We riders always race trying to look ahead, to surpass ourselves, but we are also aware of our limits,” declared Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team). “To drive in the city or outside, you always have to follow the rules, and it takes the same concentration and attention as when riding on the track. The purpose of the #TIMguardaavanti project is also this."

Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing Team) added: “When you ride a motorbike, you have to learn and know everything about the vehicle you are using. Technology makes us free, but at the same time it becomes more important to know the means and tools we have at our disposal. My advice to all those who ride a motorbike like me is that you need to be conscious riders. The #TIMguardaavanti project also means this.”

“Asking ourselves how our technology impacts the society in which we operate is a categorical imperative for every company,” he commented Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Sporting Director. “With these premises, the issue of road safety takes on a central role for us and the data we have seen can only lead us to make a serious reflection. Ducati has been organizing safe and sporty riding DRE (Ducati Riding Experience) courses for years, which teach how to maintain better control of the motorbike in extreme situations. At the same time, on the technological front we have made a lot of progress both in terms of active and passive safety. #TIMguardaavanti constitutes a further step in this journey. In particular, we are very happy to contribute, thanks to TIM, to the training of the young generations, the possible Ducatisti of tomorrow, participating in a project entirely focused on the themes of trust in the future and innovation".

“Studies relating to road safety have highlighted that in second place among the causes of accidents, with a relevance of 16,6%, is distracted driving which is often caused by the use of mobile phones – declares Cristiano Habetswallner, Sponsorship Manager of Telecom Italia - and it is on the basis of this worrying data that the #TIMguardaavanti project was born. We are therefore proud to launch this initiative to raise awareness among young people together with our historic partner Ducati, with whom we are working on the creation of numerous activities to introduce young people to a more correct use of mobile phones and to the knowledge of technologies that can be of support for road safety.”