FedEx, Safe Kids Team Up to Launch “Walk This Way” in Nanjing

Nanjing, December 17, 2008 – FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, today joined hands with Safe Kids Worldwide, a global non-profit organization, to launch the Safe Kids Walk This Way program in Nanjing at Youfuxi Road Primary School.

Following its successful launch in major Chinese cities including Shanghai , Beijing and Guangzhou , it marks the first initiative of its kind in Nanjing . More than 100 students and over 20 FedEx volunteers alongside officials from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) participated in the event.

FedEx and Safe Kids first created the Walk This Way program in the United States in 1999 with the aim of promoting child pedestrian safety. Since being introduced to China in April 2004, the program has been conducted in more than 2,000 schools and more than 1.4 million students and parents in China have received pedestrian safety education.

At the launch event, students from Youfuxi Road Primary School and FedEx volunteers called for further improvements of road safety and measures to ensure a safer school zone. To help meet these goals, Safe Kids and FedEx co-donated Walk This Way road safety curriculum to 100 Nanjing local primary schools.

Following the launch event, FedEx volunteers played road safety games with the students and practiced safe walking exercises, arming students with basic pedestrian behavior and road safety knowledge.

“FedEx has long been committed to supporting child pedestrian safety education,” said Audrey Cheong , managing director of operations, international service, FedEx China . “We not only deliver fast and reliable service in China , but also care for the community where we live and work. In China , more than seven hundred FedEx employees have volunteered to educate children about pedestrian safety. We will continue to expand this meaningful program to more places in China .”

“It has been proven in many countries and regions, where Safe Kids Walk This Way program is conducted, that the number of traffic accidents can be avoidable by improving the public awareness of traffic safety, people’s behaviors and road environment,” said Monica Cui, executive director, Safe Kids China. “In China , nineteen children die of road accident every day. With this program carried out here in Nanjing , we expect the public to care for the child pedestrians and help prevent them from avoidable injuries.”

According to a report released by Safe Kids Worldwide, road accidents have become the second largest killer of children aged 14 and under in China. An average of more than 30,000 children are injured or killed in traffic accidents every year. Of these, nearly 44 percent are child pedestrians. The report suggests that careless road crossing is the largest cause of road injury. Consequently, enhancing child pedestrian safety education and raising awareness of road safety is urgently needed.

With the rapid expansion of Nanjing ‘s economy and city scale, an increasing number of vehicles has led to a worsening traffic situation in the city. The transportation facilities and urban traffic network need to be improved. The public awareness of road safety is still low.

A study by Safe Kids surveying more than 600 students in Nanjing Youfuxi Road Primary School indicates several key pedestrian risks in the city:

· More than eighty percent of the students walk to school every day, and they spend 5-10 minutes on the road.

· Nearly half of the students claimed the crossroad is the most dangerous area for walking.

· Sixty-six percent of the students noted there are no traffic lights at the crossroads.

· Sixty-one percent of the students claimed the major safety problem is the vehicles that are jammed at the school gate.

The study clearly identifies the key areas needed for road safety education. In addition, the study points out that efforts should be made to improve the safety of road environments while also educating the vehicle drivers and the students on the road safety knowledge.