Valuable life skills for young drivers

The Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) aims to educate the South African youth and equip them with various life skills. To achieve this, the company is rolling out its “Skills 4 Life” initiative in all nine provinces – engaging 20 schools and approximately 2 000 Grade 12 learners across the country.

According to Peter Lawson, vice president of operations at FMCSA: “Teenagers will face many challenges in their life; the aim of this project is to help them become safer and more responsible in their own lives.”

The initiative, taking the form of a day-long workshop, focuses on various challenges facing the youth – including rape, abuse, unemployment, suicide, substance abuse and road accidents. In order to equip the students to deal with these pressures, various breakaway sessions have been designed; focusing on financial skills, communications skills, time management, self-empowerment and safe driving skills.

Ford will educate the learners on safe driving through its internationally developed “Driving Skills for Life” programme.

Lawson adds: “Most teens are eager to get behind the wheel and enjoy the freedom of being able to drive their own car, however, the reality is that our roads are a dangerous place – even more so for younger, less experienced motorists.”

With the aim of providing teens the skills required to become safer, more responsible drivers, the learners will participate in a ride and drive educational event. Professional driving instructors will be on hand to educate the students on seat belt usage, speeding, drinking and driving as well as distracted driving as a result of texting while driving.

“Our instructors receive extensive training both locally and abroad,” Lawson points out. “We will also incorporate specialised equipment brought in from the United States.” One of these tools are “Drunk Goggles” that demonstrate the effect that alcohol has on your vision.

Learners participating in the Skills 4 Life programme will have the opportunity to create their own peer-to-peer video focusing on what they’ve learned at the event. Participants will also stand a chance of winning various prizes, which include a professional driver training course from SIM Drive and computer skills courses from Unigrad College. Ultimately one winner will be selected to win the grand prize and will drive away in a new Ford Figo.