AISIN Supports Drivers Training Program for High School Students

For the third consecutive year, FT Techno of America (FTTA), an Aisin Holdings of America company, is making it possible for Fowlerville (Mich.) High School students to take advantage of a program intended to help save lives through better driving.

FTTA has partnered with the Tire Rack Street Survival School, a national program that teaches teens how to drive better, safer and smarter.  The program took place Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, at FTTA's 870-acre test track and proving ground in Handy Township, Mich.

Terry Takano, vice president, FTTA, said use of the proving ground provides the advantage of a large, controlled facility that was designed with driver safety as the highest priority.  He added that partnering with Street Survival and Fowlerville High School makes sense given the growing number of young drivers on the road.

"We feel strongly about hosting this program again and helping young drivers to become safer and smarter drivers," said Takano.  "Our secondary goal is to encourage high school students to become interested in the auto industry, by exposing them to a state-of-the-art global test track and R&D facility in their own backyard."

Takano said today’s drivers are more distracted than ever because of cell phone use, and motor vehicle crashes remain the leading (and most preventable) cause of death among 13-19 year olds in the United States.

"Day-to-day, our company is focused on improving safety and reliability through vehicle development; we see this training as a natural extension of our work,” he said.

FTTA also recently hosted an annual driver certification training for the Livingston County EMS, along with the Livingston County Sheriff's Department, and several other municipal public safety departments.

The one-day program provides a mix of classroom and hands-on exercises with an instructor alongside each student in their own vehicle.  In the classroom, students learned about proper seating and hand positions, mirror placement, the concept of the contact patch with the tires, theories of weight transfer and the use of long distance vision and situational awareness.

On the course, students experienced real life situations in a safe environment and learned a variety of driving tactics including skid control on a wet skid pad, lane changes/accident avoidance maneuvers and braking exercises.  Students also drove a on a slalom course to learn about vehicle weight transfer.

For more information, contact Joe Rohatynski can be reached at joe@joepr.com.