UMW Toyota embarks on a year-long road safety campaign to raise awareness of road safety among consumers with series of activities at their selected outlets. The road safety outreach initiative, themed ‘Safety is Love’ is meant to enhance the car manufacturer’s image as a car manufacturer that cares.
“As a caring automotive company, safety is an essential element throughout our company’s entire operations,” says Datuk Ismet Suki, President of UMW Toyota Motor. To begin with, he elaborates, every Toyota vehicle is fitted with safety features, making Toyota a preferred choice for many families. Yet, road accidents can still happen due to other factors such as driver’s behaviour, road condition and other distractions.
It is our social responsibilities to carry out road safety activities to ensure we have reliable vehicles and promote a high level of safe behaviour on the road. The road safety initiative is meant to complement the efforts by the Road Safety Department to reduce accidents and encourage all road users, whether pedestrians, passengers or drivers, to practise more care when on the road.
To achieve this, buntings bearing important road safety messages are displayed at all Toyota outlets throughout the year to remind customers to always practise safe travelling. Apart from the buntings, a series of talks on road safety were also conducted.
These two activities are carried out according to specific themes. The first two quarters of the year had focused on seatbelts – ‘Buckle Up, Stay Safe’, and speeding – ‘Watch Your Speed’, while the current theme is on fatigue (exhaustion) – ‘Too Tired to Drive?, Take a Rest!’, followed by distractions – ‘Stay Alert, Arrive Safely’ for the last quarter.
Four talk sessions were conducted earlier at Central and Sabah Regions by an experienced trainer. A few more sessions are planned to coincide with the impending holiday seasons. Participants will not only be exposed to common causes of road accidents, safe travel tips and others, but also gain real-time insights on what to do during an accident or emergency while on the road.
“The response to the talks was positive,” says Datuk Ismet. “Many of the participants found the sessions to be very interesting, interactive and informative, which makes us feel that we are able to deliver the message of practising safe travelling”.
Ultimately we want everyone to remember that safety is love, stresses Datuk Ismet. “Imagine the pain and suffering of someone who was waiting for their loved one to arrive, only to be told that they have perished in an accident in transit. Be careful and safe all the time, if not for your own sake, for the sake of your loved ones.”
