Driving Safely
A signature program of Ford Fund, Ford Driving Skills for Life teaches newly licensed and teen drivers the necessary skills for safe driving beyond what they learn in standard driver education programs.
Now in its 18th year, Ford Driving Skills for Life has invested more than $60 million to provide free, advanced driver education to more than 1.25 million people worldwide.
Ford Driving Skills for Life captures teen and parent interest with hands-on courses that pair newly licensed drivers with professional instructors, focusing on the issues and obstacles drivers face that cause crashes, including:
Hazard recognition
Vehicle handling
Speed and space management
Distracted and impaired driving
Established in 2003 by Ford Fund, Governors Highway Safety Association and a panel of safety experts, Ford Driving Skills for Life has operated in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico. In 2008, the program expanded outside of the United States for the first time and today offers hands-on, classroom or online training in 46 countries around the world. To view a timeline of Ford Driving Skills for Life milestones throughout the years, click here.
As it has expanded, Ford Driving Skills for Life has stayed true to its principle training – focusing on teaching areas of inexperience to new drivers. However, program content is fully customizable for each country based on cultural differences, laws and local infrastructure. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, participants learn driving in off-road conditions and receive hijacking prevention tips. In India, the program talks about honking your horn and how increased noise levels interfere with emergency vehicle sirens. In other countries, drivers are taught not to overload their vehicles with people or possessions.
Throughout its history, there have been several notable milestones. In 2018, we hosted the first Ford Driving Skills for Life for Her program in Saudi Arabia following the decree there allowing women to drive for the first time. That same year, Ford of Europe partnered with Team Sky to create a campaign focused around bicycle safety – both from the perspective of cyclists and drivers. Our “Share the Road” campaign is now an integral element in various Ford Driving Skills for Life programs in Europe, Australia, Mexico and the United States.
To learn more, visit Ford Driving Skills for Life at: