The roads are full of so many and so many dangers that there is certainly no need to add others. On the contrary, it would be better to try to eliminate them, possibly with a safe driving course. That is not an invitation to race as holding the secrets of the best driver, but a warning to caution in light of the inputs received.
This is the philosophy at the base of the project The road to life conceived and developed in 2017 by Attilio Rubino, the managing director of the company Pr Rubino of Anzola dell’ Emilia. 56 years old, always at the helm of the jewel built by his father Vincenzo, Attilio Rubino has a vocation for young people. “They should understand that when you’re on the road you shouldn’t race and you shouldn’t be distracted because every little mistake you make is paid a high price,” explains Attilio. Hence, The road to life.
“If you want to race, go on a racetrack” says the entrepreneur who, with his companies – Pr Rubino and Vision Tech – manufactures belts, straps and pulleys that he sells all over the world and is one of the leaders in the components market for industrial automation. He was 21 when he was the victim of a fatal accident and Padre Pio saved his life. A lot of time has passed since then and so has the usual question. What was the message that the friar of Pietrelcina wanted to leave him? “I’ve been asking it many times and now I think I’ve understood it” explains Attilio who, used to giving concrete form to the action by putting aside the chatter, has developed this project that aims to save the lives of those who every day puts them in danger on a road.
Why The road to life?
“For a miracle. 35 years ago I was driving to Casalecchio, where today there is the Biagi roundabout, when I saw Padre Pio standing at the crossroads. It was 6.05 p.m. He watched me with that grumpy look throughout the route until I moved out of sight. The next morning at 6,05 a.m. a car crashed me at full speed at the corner of Via San Donato and Viale della Repubblica. They took me to the hospital in desperate conditions, but despite that I am still here to tell you about it. For me it’s proof that he saved my life. And now I understand that I have a debt to pay.
How does it intend to pay off this debt?
“I understood by chance one day that I found myself on a local TV channel with the famous driver Marco Belli. There I understood that I had to do something to reduce road accidents and make my own personal contribution to trying to stem the ongoing slaughter of young people. It is with pleasure that I know that every person I am involving, such as Professor Simone Baldi, who has put this idea on paper, is offering his availability”.
What is The road to life?
“We want young people to understand that in the street you don’t race and don’t use your mobile phone and if you really want to experience the thrill of speed, you can go on the track. Pilots will therefore be involved in a safe driving course, but that is not the only thing. There are many other ideas that are a corollary to this project in which we have decided to invest and around which we are gathering a group of entrepreneurs who believe in it and want to help. But I would like to repeat one thing: a project is not enough to save lives if the people for whom it is intended do not invest their time in it”. What that means is that you learn the rules of safe driving not to emulate the Formula 1 champions, but to combine skill with driving with wisdom. Because you can’t always count on St. Pio’s corrugated yet benevolent gaze.