Ford PH starts campaign to improve road safety

Ford Philippines has just launched the “Caring for Tomorrow” campaign that promotes greater safety awareness while showcasing some of the company’s new safety and driver assistance technologies meant to assist drivers during challenging traffic situations.

“With the launch of this campaign, we’re hoping to engage more Filipinos in a conversation about safer driving, help them make better choices for themselves and their loved ones,” said Ford Philippines managing director Kay Hart.

Ford Asia-Pacific sustainability, environment and safety engineering director Pete Hardigan agreed, adding that Ford is a pioneer in implementing technologies and that the company is committed to providing safe vehicles in the Philippines and around the world.

“We are going further to develop innovative safety technologies, and to make them accessible and affordable,” Hardigan said. “Our engineers are putting themselves in consumers’ shoes, and developing features and technologies that make the on-road experience safer and smarter.”

Driver aids

To kick off the “Caring for Tomorrow” campaign, Ford Philippines in an event held at the Bonifacio Global City last week showed how premium advanced features and technologies could assist drivers when confronted with challenging traffic conditions. Through that same event, Ford Philippines urged participants to drive safely for the sake of their loved ones, and consider several technologies that can help them do so.

Participants were able to learn how Adaptive Cruise Control works, a technology that helps drivers maintain a safe following distance as well as learn more about Ford SYNC, which allows drivers to stay connected while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

Parents appreciated the hands-on demonstration of MyKey, an industry-first technology that allows parents to program the car to limit its top speed, adjust the maximum radio volume, disable the radio function until the seatbelts are fastened, and prevent deactivation of driver assistance and safety technologies. This technology is aimed at the younger members of the family who could legally drive.

Apart from providing parents peace of mind, MyKey gives younger drivers freedom while encouraging them to be more responsible and safer individuals behind the wheel.

During the event, visitors were encouraged to step into demonstration vehicles where they were able to experience first-hand the Active City Stop, which is designed to mitigate and, in certain circumstances, avoid low-speed rearend collisions with stationary or slower-moving objects in front.

Those not yet familiar with the Active Park Assist also enjoyed the experience of riding in a car that practically parked itself, cleverly steering into the tightest of spaces.

Visitors had the opportunity to try the innovative tools that help Ford engineers understand the needs of its customers with specific mobility issues, including the Empathy Belly (that simulates the restricted movement of pregnant women) and the Third Age Suit (that lets one feel what mobility limited older people experience when riding or driving a car).

At the conclusion of the tour, all participants were invited to make a safety pledge and made to recognize their individual responsibility to keep roads safe.

“Road safety relies on good driver habits in addition to safe vehicles,” said Hart. “With the safety pledge, and by emphasizing safety through our various programs including Driving Skills for Life, we’re working hard to make the roads safer for all Filipinos.”

The future of safety

Even before demand exists, European Ford Research Center managing director and Global Vehicle Dynamics, Driver Assistance and Active Safety Systems executive technical leader Pim van der Jagt said Ford engineers are brainstorming ideas for safety technologies that we won’t see deployed for another 10, 15, 20 years. “We are developing the safety and smart innovations of tomorrow, and making them accessible to our customers. We are not just making smarter and safer vehicles, but also contributing to a better future.”

One vision that Ford is helping to make a reality is vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication.

“In the coming years, we may see more services based on two-way V2V communication systems, allowing cars to communicate with each other about driving and traffic conditions, even when they are out of sight of each other,” said Van der Jagt. “In the longer term, we hope to see widespread use of V2I systems, allowing cars to talk to infrastructure and traffic management systems. The result could be safer roads, improved mobility, reduced emissions and fuel consumption.”

Van der Jagt concluded: “Ford Motor Co. has a history of pioneering technology. From the introduction of the moving assembly line 100 years ago to the advanced safety and convenience features we offer today, to the technologies we are developing for the drivers of tomorrow, we are continuing to define the future of mobility.”