Ford is taking its Driving Skills For Life (DSFL) programme nationwide this year to two new venues: Colchester United Football Club’s Colchester Community Stadium, and Nottingham Forest Football Club’s City Ground.
Young, or newly qualified, drivers take part in free practical training sessions designed to help develop their skills by simulating real-world situations. Training elements included speed awareness, distracted driving, vehicle handling and the simulated effects of drugs and alcohol.
Now in its sixth year in the UK, last year’s event at London’s ExCeL, saw a record attendance for the programme with over 470 young drivers trained. Established in 2003 by the Ford Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, Ford DSFL has provided free comprehensive advanced hands-on driver training to more than half a million youngsters globally.
New for DSFL in 2018 is the opportunity to experience ‘WheelSwap’ a virtual reality (VR) demonstration that allows the user to see the road from the perspective of other road users, namely cyclists and car drivers. Introduced as part of Ford’s ‘Share The Road’ campaign, it’s designed to encourage greater empathy between road users by highlighting how small changes in behaviour can make roads safer for everyone.
“After record attendance figures at last year’s DSFL, we are delighted to be taking the training nationwide this year,” said Andy Barratt, Chairman and Managing Director, Ford of Britain. “By moving the event to different locations across the country we can engage with new audiences, encouraging more new drivers to experience the training so they can return to UK roads with greater confidence and safety.”
In 2018, DSFL will be in the UK, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain and Turkey. To date, nearly $20 million has been committed to the program in Europe.
Young drivers aged 18-24 who would like the chance to develop safer driving skills can register their interest at www.forddsfl.co.uk
