Got Skills? Tour Brings Driver Safety Training To Teens Worldwide

We look forward to expanding our efforts to help reduce the number of crashes and fatalities…—James Graham, Driving Skills For Life

Learning to drive is a right of passage, but even for experienced drivers the road can be dangerous. To help teens gain important driving skills that can make them safer on the road, Ford is continuing its Driving Skills For Life program, which kicks off this weekend in Miami Gardens, Florida, and continues touring with 15 stops across the US and nearly 150 stops worldwide.

“Driving safely is not about downloading the latest app,” James Graham, global manager, Ford Driving Skills for Life, said. “We look forward to expanding our efforts to help reduce the number of crashes and fatalities through teaching real-world training and improved decision-making skills. Working with all of our partner organizations in 35 countries, we believe we are making a substantial contribution to safer driving.”

As always, the DSFL program addresses distraction, hazard recognition, impairment, speed management, space management, and vehicle handling. For 2017, the program also incorporates virtual reality to teach navigating traffic circles, pedestrians and bicyclists. This year’s curriculum also puts more focus on instruction for 18- to 20-year-old drivers, who are said to be involved in more fatal crashes than younger drivers.

“Despite progress in recent years, teens continue to be overrepresented in motor vehicle crashes and fatalities across the country,” Jonathan Adkins, executive director, Governors Highway Safety Association, said. “For this reason, the association and the State Highway Safety Office are looking forward to bringing this powerful program to even more teens and their parents—coast to coast and around the globe.”

Over the last 14 years, Ford invested $40 million to offer this free training to over 1 million new drivers in 35 countries. If you have a newly licensed driver in the house, you will definitely want to check out the program‘s official web site here to see when future programs are scheduled.