CONCURRENT with the implementation of the Anti-Distracted Driving Law, Ford Philippines also launched its initiative to educate drivers about smart and safe driving to help minimize road accidents and promote fuel-efficient driving.
Ford Philippines Assistant Vice President Edward Joseph Francisco said for this year’s Driving Skills for Life Program (DSFL), a United Nations-recognized training program, his group partnered with Uber Philippines to provide free-driving education to 200 Uber drivers in Manila.
Such is included, he said, in its 1,500-driver target for 2017, covering key areas and locations nationwide, such as Rizal, Pampanga, Baguio, Batangas, Laguna, Cebu and Davao.
“We’re expanding the program to reach more drivers around the country and instill the importance of driver discipline and road courtesy,” Francisco said.
A specific focus this year will be on public-utility vehicle (PUV) drivers, such as bus, jeepney, school bus and taxi drivers, recognizing their role as motorists is critical in ensuring roads and passenger journeys are safe.
“What we can say, at least is the majority of the 1,500 are definitely going to be PUV drivers. I can say maybe, 70 percent are those who really drive for others, not just for themselves,” Francisco said.
Around 20,000 individuals have participated in the program since it was first launched in 2008.
Working together with longtime partner Tuason Racing School, Ford provides an immersive and interactive training experience in its DSFL sessions. Participants are provided with useful tips on vehicle maintenance, road safety and fuel-efficient driving skills, as well as practical hands-on driving sessions to apply their learnings.
Thursday also saw the full implementation of the Anti-Distracted Driving Law, which prohibits motorists “from using communication devices and other electronic entertainment and computing gadgets while vehicles are in motion or temporarily stopped on a traffic light or an intersection”.
Ford Philippines is a part of the Michigan-based Ford Motor Co., which specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and servicing Ford cars, trucks and vehicles.