Ford continued its efforts to raise road safety awareness in Malaysia through its global Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) programme, expanding the programme to two more higher education institutions – German Malaysian Institute and Taylor’s University.
The free-of-charge DSFL workshops held last month were specially tailored to address challenges faced by young drivers, such as inexperience in dealing with unexpected situations, distracted driving, and the importance of ensuring child seats are securely fastened.
The tips are timely as many students prepare to drive home for this upcoming Chinese New Year holidays.
“Driving Skills for Life is a hands-on training programme designed to help drivers develop essential skills to stay safe on the road, which is especially important for newly licensed drivers like university students,” said David Westerman, managing director, Asia-Pacific Emerging Markets, Ford Motor Company.
“At Ford, we take road safety very seriously. Driver training, education and public awareness are all key to helping make a difference,” added Westerman.
Research conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (MIROS) show that 80% of traffic accidents are caused by human error. Ford’s DSFL programme encourages safe driving by equipping participants to make the correct decisions when behind the wheel, to reduce the chance of these accidents occurring.
DSFL sessions start in the classroom, with participants learning about a range of topics from steering control, to under-steer and over-steer, to tips for highway driving and driving in the rain.
Participants also learn about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol, by wearing specially designed gear that helps simulate the experience of driving while movement, coordination and alertness are impaired. Participants then move outside for a hands-on driving session to apply the learnings.
“DSFL gave me a lot more confidence to be on the road, which is important because driving is my main mode of transport. I was recently involved in a car accident, so learning about the important aspects of safe driving, like how to apply ABS braking when caught in an emergency situation was really helpful,” said Ernest Choong, one of the DSFL participants from Taylor’s Lakeside Campus undertaking his Diploma in Culinary Art.
Wan Nabil Hadi Wan Zainuddin, a participant from the German Malaysian Institute added, “I have always wanted to improve my driving skills so I can be a safer driver, and Ford DSFL did this by reminding me how important it is to use the correct steering method to ensure you are really in control of your vehicle.”
DSFL is Ford’s flagship global corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. In Asia, Ford DSFL is now in its 9th year of training licensed drivers of all ages. In addition to Malaysia, DSFL training is provided in China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines as well.
