In a move to contribute to the country’s enhancement of road safety, Ford has rolled out its global Driving Skills for Life programme in Kenya. The programme, Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL), has been introduced to Kenya in conjunction with the local Ford distributor, CMC Motors Group Limited.
The first training course took place in Nairobi from 22 to 24 September. The program rolled out in Kenya is based on a “train the trainer” model as part of the company’s road safety campaigns.
The programme units
The programme consists of theoretical training followed by practical training involving trainers and dealer staff.
Kenya is the fifth 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 training is part 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.
“We are very pleased to be involved in this Ford initiative as it ties in with the Kenyan Government’s renewed efforts to improve road safety in the country,” said Mr Wanjohi Kangangi, Managing Director of CMC Motors. “One of the most important developments in this regard has been the introduction, earlier this year, of a new curriculum for driver training and testing for a driver’s licence.”
Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) reported that 3 057 people were killed in road accidents last year, which equates to 6.4 fatalities per 100 000 of the population that currently totals almost 48 million people. This rate was better than the low point of 9.5 deaths per 100 000 people in 2009 but is still very high in global terms.
The number of vehicle drivers killed in Kenya in 2015 totalled 339, which was an increase of 26.5 per cent over the figure for 2014. The NTSA has pointed out that 40 per cent of the people killed were pedestrians and that the most dangerous time of the day for accidents was between 17h00 and 22h00, while most accidents occurred in areas with high traffic density. For example 22 per cent of accidents took place in Nairobi and the surrounding area.
“This is a disturbing picture, particularly as most fatalities in Kenya involve people in the 20-44 year old age group, which is when a person is at his or her most productive age. We, at CMC Motors, are therefore very pleased that we, in conjunction with Ford, are doing something constructive to assist in the promotion of improving driving skills in the country,” concluded Kangangi.