Ford teaches safe driving skills to P.R. youth
A student takes part in Ford Motor Company's Driving Skills for Life program held Wednesday. (Credit: Sam VarnHagen/Ford Motor Co.)
Ford Motor Company Fund is bringing back to Puerto Rico its internationally recognized program, Ford Driving Skills for Life, as part of its commitment to the Puerto Rican community. More than 400 teenage students will have the opportunity to participate in driving clinics with world-class professional instructors this week.
Students from public and private schools will learn techniques in four key areas: speed management, space management, vehicle handling, and hazard recognition.
“Driver and passenger safety is a priority to Ford, which is why it’s part of the four corporate values the brand focuses on: safety, innovation, quality, and sustainability,” said Waldo Galán, Ford International Business Development regional manager for Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Central America. “That is why we are excited to provide these young participants the resources and skills necessary to make them aware of the responsibility that driving a car entails.”
According to Commission for Traffic Safety statistics, an average of 400 people die annually in Puerto Rico due to traffic accidents, of which approximately 28 percent are young people between 16 and 25 years-old. Education is vital to prevent fatal crashes and to help develop each driver’s sense of responsibility to others on the road.
“To prevent vehicle crashes, education is important and indispensable, as are each driver’s awareness and responsibility at the wheel,” says Zoriemy Rivera, executive director of the Commission for Traffic Safety. “Ensuring that our roads are safer is the responsibility of all.”
Ford Driving Skills for Life is part of the Operation Goodwill program, through which Ford is investing $500,000 during 2011 and 2012 to support community initiatives and charitable organizations in Puerto Rico. The primary focus of this investment is educational and driving safety programs.
Nuestra Escuela, Sapientis, Hispanic College Fund, San Juan Community Library, Susan G. Komen/Race for the Cure, American Cancer Society, G8/Comunidad Caño Martín Peña and the Escuela Ecológica Niños Uniendo al Mundo are among the institutions that have enhanced their programs with funds received from Ford.
