Toyota to launch high school driving programme in US

Toyota Motor Company will launch a national driver safety training programme titled The Road Ahead for teenage school students in the United States. The Road Ahead, featuring top race car driver Erica Enders will be launched in select high schools in Southern California. It will train more than 6,000 students in the principles of road safety and safe driving. The programme uses innovative videos, live presentations and a demonstration of distracted driving to educate students to observe and concentrate on the road ahead while driving. The presentation on distracted driving will enable students to observe and understand the distractions when driving. Apart from The Road Ahead, Toyota will also offer another free driving course On the Road, for the youth in spring 2013. The Road Ahead is a two-and-a-half-hour defensive driving programme that acts as a supplement to a standard driving education course. Designed as a course which requires participation from a parent to support coaching within the family, it includes both theoretical classes and real-time training in defensive training and shows the effect of being distracted while driving. Another road safety push for teens from Toyota is the free safety clinics campaign planned in spring 2013 at select Toyota dealerships across the US. The clinics will train participants in vehicle dynamics, safety features, vehicle maintenance, defensive driving and the dangers of distracted driving.