FIA World Rally Championship stars Ott Tanak and Matthew Wilson have lent their support to the FIA's Action for Road Safety campaign.

They visited a school in Cumbria, United Kingdom, close to where the Ford World Rally Team is based, to raise awareness of the importance of road safety.

M-Sport drivers Tanak and Wilson gave children from St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School in the town of Wigton a guided tour of a Ford Fiesta RS WRC and explained the numerous safety features incorporated into the car’s design.

They also let the children sit in the cockpit of the Fiesta and try on a crash helmet to gain a greater understanding of the strenuous safety requirements demanded by motorsport’s world governing body, the FIA.

Tanak also explained the importance of two of the FIA Action for Road Safety’s Golden Rules, to the children in particular: rule one: I want to be safe I promise to belt up and rule nine: I promise to wear a helmet.

Paula Holden, the school’s head teacher, said: “We are always encouraging the pupils to be safe on the roads, and Ott and Matthew were brilliant with them. Both kept the children’s attention and provided excellent input on how important it is to stay safe on our roads.”

Action for Road Safety is the FIA’s response to the challenge raised by the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety - a campaign intended to prevent five million road deaths and countless injuries by the year 2020. The FIA will task its sporting and mobility members with carrying out ambitious projects to educate, train and raise awareness of road safety issues as part of its commitment to fully support the UN Decade of Action.

The FIA’s Golden Rules for safer motoring are a list of 10 road safety precautions. While basic, the majority of road accidents are caused by a failure to heed one or more of them.