Ford Driving Skills for Life: Teaching young drivers the skills they need to make educated decisions before they get on the road

According to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), a road safety research institute and registered Canadian charity, young Canadian drivers aged 16 to 19 have the highest crash risk of any other age cohort. To help address this, the Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program, conducted in partnership with TIRF, offers newly licensed teens the opportunity to put their skills behind the wheel to the test with hands-on advanced driver training in a safe and controlled environment.

“Knowing that young drivers are statistically at a higher crash risk, we offer young Canadians important safety awareness through Ford Driving Skills for Life, which is provided to communities free of charge,” said Raquel Chu, analyst, Government Relations at Ford of Canada. “We are proud to see many young drivers gain important education, learn from professionals, and practice driving techniques in a safe environment that they wouldn’t traditionally learn in other driving education courses.”

About Ford Driving Skills for Life

Now in its ninth year in Canada, DSFL has hosted more than 5,600 participants across the country and aims to raise awareness and promote road safety with hands-on experience. This year’s event took place in Windsor, Ontario, from August 24 – 25 at the WFCU Centre, with more than 270 participants experiencing the program over the weekend. Developed by experts with safety as the top priority, DSFL explored four key areas that are critical factors in more than 60% of vehicle crashes, including hazard recognition, vehicle handling, and distracted and impaired driving.

Dave Drimmie, Canadian program director at Ford Driving Skills for Life, has been at the helm since it came to Canada.

“In a simulated and safe fashion, this program takes participants into real-world situations. We create experiences that new drivers will encounter once they get out onto the road,” said Drimmie. “We teach them safe techniques to build awareness and help prepare them for the future.” 

Building Confidence Behind the Wheel

With a capacity of 80 participants per session, each module is led by experienced professional drivers, and all in-vehicle experiences are on closed courses. The training focuses on four key driving modules to address vehicle safety:

1. Vehicle handling includes in-car practice in a Ford Mustang equipped with destabilizing rollers to create oversteer, teaching participants how to recover from skids in front and rear-wheel drive vehicles.
   
2. The hazard recognition course educates on how to scan for trouble on the road, safety zones, emergency braking techniques, and emergency lane changes.
3. Simulated distracted and impaired driving courses allow participants to drive at slow speed through a controlled course. Provided by Windsor Police, fatal vision goggles are used to mimic alcohol impairment to simulate the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
4. The safety in mobility course focuses on safe scooter riding and how to share the road with bicycles and scooters. The program also includes a foam bike to teach cyclists, scooter riders and drivers about the “door zone” where drivers are taught to use their opposing hand to open the door. The action forces them to look behind and see if a bicycle or scooter is approaching before opening the vehicle door.

“As the program continues to innovate, the new safety in mobility course focuses on emerging issues young drivers may experience,” said Drimmie. “This module includes an electric scooter safety course and VR goggles to simulate how to share the road with bicycles and scooters, teaching participants the importance of situational awareness.”

Driving Home the Importance of Safety

Joined by proud parents or guardians as spectators, participants highlighted their key takeaways from the program:

• “I think this is an excellent program because it teaches you a lot. Hazard recognition is something you don’t learn in driver education. The instructors are amazing, and I recommend that everyone come out to these events.” – Nour, 19
• “I learned how to have better reaction time and I felt more comfortable stopping in an emergency.” – Kohen, 18
• “This program makes me feel more confident with vehicle handling.” – Sophia, 18
• “We don’t learn about this in regular driving school.” – Rajendra, 24
• “This program will allow young drivers to feel more comfortable driving moving forward.” – Keilan, 17