Ford India launches 'Driving Skills for Life' driver education program

Successful global program is adapted to suit India's driving environment

Ford India today launched Ford Motor Company's successful Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program to more than 1,000 employees at its Maraimalai Nagar manufacturing facility. Tamil Nadu's Principal Secretary and Transport Commissioner, Mr. S. Machendranathan, was joined by senior Ford executives and Ford's DSFL partner, Hubert Ebner (India) Pvt Ltd. - an Indo-Austrian venture in driving training systems and road safety consultancy, to announce the program's official introduction to the India market.

Ford plans on putting its more than 5,500 India-based employees through the DSFL driver's education training through the next eight months as part of the initial phase of the program in India. Today's launch event was followed by the first training session with Ford India's senior leadership team and 100 employees. 

Driving Skills for Life is offered free to program trainees that mixes classroom learning and practical training to help increase awareness of safe driving techniques that also help improve fuel efficiency. The training has been customized for India to reflect the local driving environment and road conditions.

“Road safety is a very serious issue in India, and also one that's highly relevant to our business," said Michael Boneham, president & managing director, Ford India. "With the launch of the DSFL program, we're aiming to help raise awareness of safe driving techniques and make a difference in the driving habits of our employees first, and then take it to Indian drivers around the country.”

Reducing the toll of road traffic accidents across the region is a key objective of the Driving Skills for Life program. The World Bank estimates that the number of deaths from car accidents globally will rise to two million annually by 2020, from roughly 1.2 million in 2008. The Indian Transport Ministry estimates that the number of annual fatalities from road accidents might climb to 150,000 by 2015 because of the rapid growth of vehicle ownership in India. In 2008, road accidents in India claimed more than 100,000 lives.

S. Machendranathan, Principal Secretary and Transport Commissioner, said, “Inspiring safe driving is the biggest single step we can take in helping to reduce road traffic accidents. The Driving Skills for Life program will help drivers to be more aware of the conditions around them and will reinforce the fact of how important their actions are to road safety.”

A group of 40 trainers have been prepared to run the program, which includes Ford India employees and experienced trainers from Hubert Ebner (India) Pvt Ltd. A core group of Ford India employees attended a special train-the-trainers session in Shanghai, China earlier this year that was conducted by driving experts from the German Road Safety Council. This core group then conducted in-depth and intensive training sessions to develop an extended group of training facilitators.

Driving Skills for Life will be launched in multiple phases in India. The first phase will provide training to more than 2,000 employees of Ford's vehicle manufacturing operations through the remainder of the year. In the following phases the program, the training will be conducted with more than 3,000 Ford staff in accounting and IT businesses, Ford dealerships, retail and fleet customers.  

Making Serious Learning Engaging
Key focal points of the training include awareness of road and traffic conditions, safe driving techniques and methods to drive more economically with reduced environmental impact.

“The techniques used for safe driving are essentially the same for economical, fuel-efficient motoring,” said Neal McCarthy, corporate communications director of Ford's Asia Pacific and Africa region, leading this regional initiative. “So, driving steadily at a reasonable engine speeds is not only safer, but can also help drivers improve fuel efficiency by up to 25 percent, as well as reduce CO2 emissions.”

Economical driving training includes anticipating road conditions, applying fuel-efficient driving techniques, avoiding speeding and keeping a vehicle properly maintained for optimal fuel economy.  Safe driving skills focus on the use of safety belts, recognizing and anticipating changing traffic conditions, avoiding distraction and maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles in traffic.

The DSFL program was launched last year in four of Ford's Asia Pacific and Africa markets – including Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam – and is on its way to becoming the company's first truly region-wide CSR initiative. More than 5,400 drivers participated in the DSFL training in 2008. The China launch represents the latest component of a global campaign that has helped educate more than 320,000 motorists to date, including both the U.S. and European initiatives.

For more information regarding the Driving Skills for Life program, please visit www.drivingskillsforlife.com.

Ford India
Established in 1995, Ford India is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader. Ford India manufactures and distributes automobiles made at its modern integrated manufacturing facility, at Maraimalai Nagar, near Chennai. With close to 2,100 employees, the company's models include the Ikon, Fusion, Endeavour and Fiesta.

For more information, visit www.india.ford.com