After a successful Ford Driving Skills for Life program which took place in National Industrial Trading Centre in Athi River last year, Ford Motors company in partnership with NTSA staged yet another training at the same venue yesterday. A total of 40 people, including the NTSA team, CMC employees, media and customers, participated in the Ford DSFL programme this year.
The DSFL trainings are meant to impart knowledge and raise awareness about road safety, improve defensive driving ability among experienced drivers and provide additional skills to newly licenced drivers. As an experienced driver who attended the training last year, I can confirm that I left knowing things that I either did not know before, or was taking for granted. I documented my experience here.
I learnt so much last year and this year, the programme included additional features like drunk driving goggles to demonstrate the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. This year’s programme also included driving on a 4×4 trail requiring the use of four-wheel drive, as well as a special presentation on child safety in the car. Participants got the opportunity to learn about the features that the Ford vehicles offer such as safety, departure angles, brake distance on gravel and anti-lock braking system (A.B.S) as well as how to use other four-wheel drive functions such as traction control and locking differential.
“Reducing the number of road fatalities is a top priority for the NTSA. Drivers have a high sense of responsibility and their actions can affect the lives of many people. Initiatives such as Ford’s Driving Skills for Life are a good way to spread awareness around road safety in Kenya. Such initiatives boost the Authority’s efforts in keeping our roads safe. We also believe this programme will provide participants with key learnings on how to manage critical factors such as vehicle handling, speed management and space management, distraction and impairment,” says Francis Meja, Director General at the NTSA.
NTSA is a Government body established in 2012, with a mandate to improve road safety in Kenya.