Cyclists are the most vulnerable people on the road, only 5.6% of accidents that involves them ends up without an injury. Indeed, in Italy every 35 hours a cyclist dies on the road, 250 deaths per year (Istat).

Continental is one of the forerunners in creating and adopting what are now indispensable safety standards in the mobility industry. Safety is their mission. Every year thousands of cyclist accidents data are released online and though television news however the impact is with very low. Continental decided to bring attention and empathy to the issue of road safety creating a project that would change people life. Final aim? To become the safety sponsor of the road.

Continental Safety Wheels: a temporary exhibition during Milan Design Week that promotes road safety.

We answered to this challenge with an interactive exhibition, because we believe that the only way to be aware of something is through a real-life experience. A creative installation of 5 main figures concerning cycling accidents made with Continental bicycle tires was the main exhibition focus. The main target audience for this project are people on the roads, those who Continental wants to keep safe everyday: cyclists, pedestrians, auto and moto drivers, etc. This is why Milan Design Week was chosen to bring the exhibition to life, and to start raising awareness on safety road issues. Indeed, this event has the power to engage citizens, to influence public opinion and start an effective conversation with public administration heads through round table discussions and talks about the theme.

At the exhibition in the heart of Milan Design Week district on April 09th, people had the opportunity to dive into road safety issues through the creative installation concerning data about cyclist accidents in a creative way. Other attractions were conference with experts from different fields, famous cycling influencers and journalists and attend a press conference with Continental CEO who talked about the importance of road security and Continental commitment with road safety. People were also able to test a new and innovative marking paint, called Continental Grip Line, which increases the anti-skid effect during the rain, with their own hands and feel the difference of a safer cycling experience. This exhibition was design inside two truck containers to become in the future an itinerant exhibition to follow the Giro d’Italia competition.

The exhibition was covered by more than 150 articles, including main national TV newswires, adv magazines, automotive blogs, websites, and the most important national online newspapers such as: repubblica.it, corriere.it, ilsole24ore.com. So far, the coverage tone is very positive and includes all the key messages, attitudes, values we hoped for. The Continental Safety Wheels exhibition that took place during Milan Design Week had approximately 400,000 visitors. It was a crucial moment to reach people’s attention to road safety issues and through this experience we were able to bring awareness that resulted into an actual search for solutions to this problem. The success of the event allowed us to transform this temporary exhibition into an itinerant one that will be travelling alongside cyclists during the Giro d’Italia competition.