Friday, December 18, 2015

MMU students participate in Ford's Driving Skills for Life programme

Recently a group of students from the Malaysian Multimedia University (MMU) was given the chance to participate in Ford's half day Driving Skills for Life programme. This half day, free of charge programme is aimed at raising awareness of safe driving and if actually beneficial for newly licensed drivers like these university students from MMU. 



They got a chance to drive a Ford Fiesta around a course. I hope that they will remember what they have learnt in this course and put their newly found skills to good use. And not become like some Malaysian drivers who do not like to use the signal indicators, who do not like to pay any attention to road signs and who do not drive with a care in the world. 

PRESS RELEASE
Ford Driving Skills for Life Reaches Out to More Young Drivers at Malaysian Multimedia University

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, 17 December 2015 – Ford Motor Company has continued its

global Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) programme in Malaysia, hosting workshops for students

at the Malaysian Multimedia University (MMU), aimed at raising awareness of safe driving.

Ford’s half-day DSFL workshops – provided free-of-charge – emphasise the importance of

safe driving skills for Malaysian motorists.

“Driving Skills for Life is a hands-on driver training programme designed to help drivers

develop essential skills to be 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.

According to The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (MIROS), Malaysia recorded a total of

over 476,000 road crashes which resulted in over 6,600 fatalities in 2014.

 

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 classroom session covering

theory, as well as a hands-on driving session to apply the learnings.

In addition to the programme’s core content, an emphasis on the dangers of driving under

the influence of alcohol has been incorporated this year, including having participants wear

specially designed gear that helps simulate the experience of driving while movement,

coordination and alertness are impaired.

“Being a new driver and a huge car enthusiast, I loved having the chance to learn new skills

to drive safer on the road. The programme taught me to keep a safe distance between my

vehicle and the car in front, and how to use proper braking techniques in an emergency

situation,” said Noor Azlan bin Mahmud, one of the DSFL participants and a first year

student in Computer Science from Malaysian Multimedia University.

The DSFL workshops at MMU build on Ford’s outreach to young drivers in Malaysia, which

began with DSFL at Taylor’s University earlier in the year, and will continue in 2016.

DSFL is Ford’s flagship global corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. In Asia,

Ford DSFL is now in its eighth successful 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 a global company with an established presence in Malaysia, we are passionate about

instilling road safety awareness among drivers, with the aim of making the roads safer for

drivers, motorists and pedestrians,” added Westerman.

By the end of 2015, Ford DSFL will reach more than 150,000 people with behind-the-wheel

training and hundreds of thousands more through online training, school programmes and

safe driving campaigns in 32 countries.

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