Driving a vehicle is a big responsibility, so learning safe driving skills is extremely important. Ford recently teamed up with Driving Skills for Life in Ontario for a unique event where young drivers were given the opportunity to drive Ford vehicles on a closed track. The catch? We teamed up the young drivers with some professional driving instructors to give them a first hand experience on what dangerous driving feels like.

Ford Driving Skills For Life Hazard Recognition Course

Ford Driving Skills For Life Hazard Recognition Course

Driving Skills for Life is a program designed to help teach newly licensed teens safety skills behind the wheel. The program started in 2003 and has since helped over 35,500 students across North America gain the training they need to safely manoeuvre through difficult driving conditions with practical, hands-on training.

Young driving ambassadors at the Ford Driving Skills For Life event

Young driving ambassadors at the Ford Driving Skills For Life event

The closed track included four main courses. The Hazard Recognition Course gave our young drivers the chance to mimic city driving speeds and hit the brakes as hard as possible. The Impaired Driving Course required the young drivers to wear goggles that restricted their vision and made it seem as though they were under the influence. The Distracted Driving Course had the drivers behind the wheel and pretending to look at their phones at the same time. Finally, there was the Vehicle Handling Course where drivers learned how to balance the vehicle properly during emergency turning situations.

Ford and Driving Skills For Life teach young drivers safety tips

Ford and Driving Skills For Life teach young drivers safety tips

It was quite a day for some young drivers who got hands on safe driving instructions from a group of trained professionals. Do you have a safe driving tip you’d like to share? Leave us a comment below, post a comment on Facebook, or Tweet us @FordCanada.