Ford’s Driving Skills for Life program last week commenced its national tour of the country for the third year running.
FORD AUSTRALIA’S Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program kicked off its third-year last week with the launch of the national driving program in Melbourne. According to Ford, the aim of
DSFL “is to help train young and new drivers, some of the highest risk motorists on our roads, and this year will incorporate new training and education to address pedestrians and cyclists in a bid to reduce the national road toll through better education”.
According to statistics around 15% of all deaths on Australian roads in the 12 months to July 2017 were cyclists and pedestrians; Ford said it hopes its updated driving program will go some way towards reducing this statistic.
While Australia has seen a decrease in driver deaths on the roads in the past year, pedestrian deaths rose 4.9%. Further to this, there was a 7% increase in 2016, revealing a shocking trend of 336 pedestrians losing their lives since 2015.
“We welcome Ford’s Driving Skills for Life initiative as it emphasizes that safe driving is founded on ‘knowledge, skills and behaviour’ – two out of three is
unacceptable. Drivers and pedestrians alike must apply 100% concentration when sharing our roads. RESPECT is a key attribute – Respect for self, Respect for passengers and Respect for other road users – safety for all,’ said Dr Ray Shuey, Victorian Director of the Pedestrian Council of Australia.
As in year’s past, attendees will receive education on four areas: hazard recognition; vehicle handling; distracted and impaired driving; space and speed management.
Road and traffic deaths are still the second-highest cause of death for Australians aged 15 – 24, and within this group, the leading killer of young males. For the regular Australian, the average number of road deaths per 100,000 people is 5.37, but for the young adult age bracket, it is nearly double this and currently sits at 9.0, with the number for men in this age bracket being an alarming 13.4 (2.5 times the national average).
Driving Skills for Life will be a free ticketed event and numbers are limited in each city. Registrations are now open at www.FordDSFL.com.au and tickets will be allocated in order of registration.
