Ford Motor Company, together with local partner Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC), officially kicked off Ford’s global Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) campaign in Malaysia with four training sessions being held at the Malaysian Agro Exposition Park Serdang from 13-14 December.
The Driving Skills for Life programme is aimed at educating drivers on necessary and practical skills for driving safely, helping to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries associated with traffic accidents. DSFL training includes both a classroom session covering theory, as well as a hands-on driving session to apply the learnings.
A World Health Organization (WHO) report in 2013 found that road traffic accidents kill almost 1.2 million people a year and injure or disable up to 50 million more. WHO data also shows that, without appropriate action, these injuries will rise dramatically by the year 2020.
The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (MIROS) showed that an average of 18 people are killed on the country’s roads every day and this figure is predicted to rise to 29 by 2020.
“Road safety is a very serious issue, and also one that is highly relevant to our business,” said David Westerman, managing director, Malaysia and Asia Pacific Emerging Markets, Ford Motor Company. “Ford believes that road safety is part of our corporate responsibility, and we’re proud to launch Driving Skills for Life in Malaysia to help raise awareness of safe driving practices and techniques, and help make Malaysia’s roads safer.”
More than 80 licensed drivers are participating in the DSFL training sessions – which cover a wide range of safe driving tips and techniques such as the importance of all occupants fastening safety belts, staying within the speed limit, avoiding distractions while driving and keeping a safe distance from other vehicles on the road.
In Asia, Ford DSFL is now in its seventh successful year of training licensed drivers of all ages. Malaysia joins DSFL campaigns in China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
“We’re committed to making meaningful contributions to the communities where we do business. Alongside our annual Conservation & Environmental Grants programme, it’s one way Ford goes further to help ensure a bright future for Malaysians,” said Westerman.
Ford will have trained more than 90,000 licensed drivers in Asia Pacific by the end of 2014.
Globally, Ford DSFL is now offered in 19 countries, with more than 500,000 drivers of all ages having participated in the training sessions to date.
