Ford Introduces Driving Skills for Life Programme in Uganda
- Uganda is fourth country in Sub Saharan Africa to benefit from Ford’s Driving Skills for Life
- Links in with National Road Safety Council’s campaign to make Ugandan roads safer
- 80 per cent of fatalities are claimed to result from human error
Ford is assisting Uganda’s National Road Safety Council (NRSC) in its fight to cut road accidents. It is fataliting the country with the roll out of a proven and successful driver skills training programme, known as Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL). The programme in Uganda is a joint venture with Ford’s local distributor, CMC Motors.
The DSFL is Ford’s global programme aimed at improving driving skills and thereby contributing to road safety in each country in which it is offered. The defensive driving methods taught in the course are also beneficial in terms of saving fuel by encouraging economical driving techniques, which also cut wear and tear on a car.
The introductory course was staged over three days, 19-21 September. The system works on the basis of “train the trainer” so that Ugandan driver training instructors can then take the programme further.
The initial programme started with one day of theoretical training followed by a day of practical training where trainers and dealer staff were involved. The third day was spent training the local media representatives who are then able to spread the word through their various publications.
Uganda was the fourth country in Sub Saharan Africa to benefit from DSFL, after the roll out of the programme in South Africa in 2014, followed by Angola last year and Nigeria earlier this year. The programme will take place in Kenya next.
DSFL is an excellent example of Ford’s global commitment to be a responsible corporate citizen in all the countries where it does business. Ford launched DSFL in the United States in 2003 and the system has been improved and adapted to suit local conditions in many other global markets over the years. It is funded by the not-for-profit Ford Motor Company Fund as a proven and effective method of improving driving skills globally and so contributing to road safety.
Uganda, with a population of 27.4 million people is rated 20th in the world in terms of its road fatality rate, with 2 845 people killed on the country’s roads in 2015, while 13 510 people were seriously injured in road accidents.
The Ugandan NRSC is currently involved with a project to cut road deaths, driven by the United Nation’s global road safety programme which was launched in Kampala last year.
“The NRSC claims that 80 per cent of the deaths on Ugandan roads are due to human error, so our driving skills training programme is on target to assist in this critical facet of improving road safety,” said Herman Mbalasi, of CMC Motors. “We are very grateful that Uganda has been chosen by Ford for the introduction of this world renowned driver training programme,” he added.