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What does the program consist of?
We have a four-hour defensive driving course for teens and their parents. Toyota is really focused on safety, it’s a priority … We try to engineer safety capabilities into our products — but quite frankly, the best safety device is the hands on the wheels. The number one cause of fatalities among teens is car accidents. We developed this program [and] it’s a little bit of classroom training as well as on-course training. We put you in real world scenarios on a controlled track.
What factors contribute to the high rate of teen auto-related deaths?
We think its inexperience. They just haven’t been on the road long enough. They don’t know what to expect from themselves. They don’t know about the dynamics of a vehicle sometimes — what a car can and cannot do. And [there are] the ever-present distractions [like] talking on cell phones, texting and eating, it just doesn’t make sense.
Why do you feel parents should take part in the course as well?
We also have the parents go through it because parents can be just as guilty. When you’re doing it, your teen is watching you and [they] feel like ‘if mom and dad are doing it, maybe I can do it, too.’ Hopefully [this is] a real eye opener.
Why is this a high priority for Toyota?
In our philanthropy program, we have three focus areas; education, environment, [and] safety. When it comes to teen drivers, the statistics are so sobering that we really wanted to take a look at it. We’re not just teaching them how to drive, we’re teaching them how to drive defensively. –todd williams
