- Ford Driving Skills for Life begins its
second decade in 2014 with evolving and expanding content to help
new drivers gain skills not taught in traditional driver’s
education programs
- Use of a new drunk driving suit
simulates the physical effects alcohol impairment can have on a
driver
- Curriculum adds a driving selfies
warning to address dangerous new trend of drivers snapping photos
of themselves while behind the wheel
- Ford Driving Skills for Life, now
operating in more than 15 countries, continues global expansion;
program to start in Belgium, Romania, Malaysia and Myanmar
Ford Driving Skills for Life, the free, advanced driving skills
program for novice drivers, is launching its second decade in 2014
with an expanded reach and mission as it continues to address
dangerous trends and challenges faced by teens and other new
drivers.
“Over the last 10 years we have taken pride in our ability to
adjust the curriculum to keep up with the constantly changing world
awaiting teens and other new drivers,” said Jim Graham, Ford
Driving Skills for Life manager. “We listen to the needs and
concerns of teen drivers, and modify the program to keep it fresh
and relevant.”
This year Ford Driving Skills for Life will continue to
reinforce the importance of “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road”
while driving. A new element in the curriculum is designed to warn
of the dangerous new trend of taking mobile self-portraits while
behind the wheel, known as driving selfies. The hands-on portion of
the program will demonstrate the distraction created by taking
selfies while driving on a closed course. The online portion will
also explain the risks associated with taking driving selfies.
Ford’s Driving Skills for Life program was established in 2003
by Ford Motor Company Fund, the Governor’s Highway Safety
Association and a panel of safety experts with the mission of
teaching newly licensed teens the necessary skills for safer
driving, and the importance of making good decisions while driving.
The program encourages parental involvement, which can contribute
greatly to developing safe driving habits. In its first 10 years,
Ford Driving Skills for Life has directly trained more than 30,000
teens in nearly 900 school districts in 39 states, plus 15
international markets.
New technology
To address the issue of impaired driving, this year also marks
introduction of a drunk driving suit that was initially created for
the program’s recent expansion into Europe. The suit replicates
some of the physical challenges experienced by a person under the
influence of alcohol.
“Currently, we use goggles that cause a driver to become
disoriented to help demonstrate some of the effects of impaired
driving,” said Graham. “The drunk driving suit will take this
demonstration to a whole new level by adding features to the rest
of the body to simulate how alcohol impairs the driver
physically.”
Weights added to the arms and legs of a student wearing the
drunk driving suit cause that person to be encumbered and off
balance. Weights and pads also slow reaction time, which creates
the sensation of a driver’s reflexes and movements being
impaired.
Global expansion
Ford Driving Skills for Life is helping novice drivers learn
critical skills in emerging markets. In many cases, these drivers
are not teens, but adults who are driving for the first time.
“We are expanding our work to reduce the number of fatalities
and injuries among new drivers across Ford’s global markets,” said
Graham.
Teams are exploring the needs of first-time drivers in the
different places where the program is being deployed so that the
curriculum can be designed to address the specific needs of each
market. In India, Ford Driving Skills for Life is used to assist
first-time vehicle owners and drivers who may be in their forties
and fifties. These drivers learn such basics as the importance of
using a safety belt. In parts of Europe, the program is aimed at
college-age students because licensing in these areas often starts
at a later age than in the United States.
2014 marks continued global expansion of Ford Driving Skills for
Life, with the program now under way in 15 international markets –
Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, India,
China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, South
Africa and United Arab Emirates. New programs are scheduled for
Belgium, Romania, Malaysia and Myanmar.
2014 U.S. schedule
In 2014 Ford Driving Skills for Life will hold hands-on driving
programs in at least 11 U.S. cities including Dallas; Springfield,
Ill.; Chicago; Detroit; Salt Lake City; Denver; Kansas City, Kan.;
Indianapolis; Charleston, W.Va.; Phoenix; and Tucson, Ariz.
Upgraded website, advanced new curriculum
Other changes coming to the program this year include an
upgraded website and new materials in the free, online Ford Driving
Skills for Life Academy, which can be found at
https://www.drivingskillsforlife.com/.
“Our redesigned academy will feature video elements that are
appealing to teens,” said Graham. “We will also showcase a wealth
of information on the latest safety trends; from distraction to
safety technology to driver education and relevant legislation,
teens and their parents will have access to the information they
need to help them make safer driving decisions.”
Collaborations
Ford Driving Skills for Life, along with its primary
collaborator in efforts to better train teen drivers, the
Governor’s Highway Safety Association, will continue to work
closely with state highway safety agencies to help supplement
state-run driver’s training programs.
“Due to tight state and federal budgets, states are increasingly
relying on private funding such as Ford Driving Skills for Life to
reach new drivers and their parents,” said Jonathan Adkins,
executive director of Governor’s Highway Safety Association. “The
Ford curriculum is a top-notch driver training program that
complements state efforts.”
To help reach teens with important safe driving messages, Ford
Driving Skills for Life in the United States is launching a new
collaboration with bowling legend Walter Ray Williams Jr., and is
continuing its relationship with NHRA driver Courtney Force. Ford
is also making a new contribution to Operation Teen Safe Driving in
Tazewell County in Illinois to help improve teen safe driving
practices there, and will continue its relationships with KDKA-TV’s
Taking the Lead program in Pennsylvania, the Student Leadership
Services program in Missouri and Strive for a Safer Drive in
Michigan.
About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with
community partners to advance driving safety, education and
community life. For more than 60 years, Ford Motor Company Fund has
operated with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. The
award-winning Ford Driving Skills for Life program teaches new
drivers through a variety of hands-on and interactive methods.
Innovation in education is encouraged through programs that enhance
high school learning and provide college scholarships and
university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, more than
25,000 Ford employees and retirees work on projects each year that
better their communities in more than 30 countries. For more
information, visit www.community.ford.com.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six
continents. With about 181,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide,
the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The
company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit
Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products
worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
Ford Motor CompanyKelli Felker,
313.322.1790kfelker1@ford.comorEd Saenz,
313.400.4200esaenz6@ford.com
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