Ford Talks Safety at “Teen Safe Driving: The Next 10 Years”

One of the most pressing concerns in the auto industry is ensuring the safety of not just all drivers, but teen drivers in particular. Earlier this month, Ford held an event entitled “Teen Safe Driving: The Next 10 Years” at Citi Field in Queens, New York. The event, which included a panel discussion and a number of hands-on experiences, sought to teach teens and parents the value of paying total attention to the road ahead.

The “Teen Safe Driving: The Next 10 Years” panel was moderated by area television personality Amy Freeze and included panelists Mario Armstrong (Digital Lifestyle Expert® and television host); Jonathan Adkins (executive director, Governors Highway Safety Association); Monica Vila (founder and chief technology mom, The Online Mom); Alex Dorado (Driving Skills for Life national tour graduate); Jim Graham(manager, Ford Driving Skills for Life); and Lisa Stone (cofounder and CEO, BlogHer).

What the panelists discovered is that distracted driving and the prevalence of/addiction to cell phone use has come to the forefront of the conversation that parents want to have with their kids.

“We found that the No. 1 concern for mothers today is no longer the notion of your child being hit and killed by a drunk driver,” said Stone. “It’s the idea that they may be injured, or worse, by a distracted driver.”

To help hammer the point home, parents were made aware of ways that they can get involved with teaching their teen the rules of the road and the technologies—such as geo-fencing apps and Ford’s MyKey, Blind Spot Information System, Ford SYNC, and forward collision warning—that can help them do so.

Teen attendees—as well as parents, panelists, and press—participated in a number of hands-on activities from the Ford Driving Skills for Life program, including vehicle handling, distracted driving simulations, and drunk driving simulations.

Source:Ford Motor Company