Toyota, AAP, UP partner for drivers' education

MANILA, Philippines - Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation (TMP), the country’s largest automaker, strengthens its commitment to road traffic safety by providing a P1.5 million grant for the development and production of DVD-based training materials to be used by the University of the Philippines National Center for Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS) in its Training Course for Public Utility Drivers.

The grant is part of the University of the Philippines (UP) Traffic Safety Model Zone project, which is a partnership among TMP, the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP), and UP-NCTS. The UP Traffic Safety Model Zone is a campaign on road traffic safety aimed at improving public awareness, education and discipline among motorists, pedestrians and traffic enforcers.

UP-NCTS runs the Training Course for Public Utility Drivers in cooperation with TMP, AAP, and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). Under the training program, drivers undergo courses on road traffic safety, values formation, public and customer relations, incidents and emergency procedures, fatigue and stress management, and franchising and road laws, among others.

TMP, AAP, and UP-NCTS agree that the nationwide training would be more effective if corresponding video materials are produced to supplement the various modules of the training program. In this regard, the parties decided to tap the UP-College of Mass Communication Foundation, Inc. (UP-CMCFI), who has the expertise and capability to conceptualize, write, and produce the required video materials.

“We have gathered together again to manifest our shared commitment to improve road traffic safety in the Philippines,” said TMP president Michinobu Sugata. “The agreement we have signed on the Drivers’ Education Module signals our collective effort to move to the heart of our advocacy – educating the public utility vehicle drivers on road safety.”

As an affirmation, AAP vice president Johnny Angeles said, “AAP is committed to promoting traffic safety by advocating for a safer road system conforming to accepted international specifications, and by the implementation of proper traffic rules and regulations.”

“The partnership to develop the video format of the training modules on road safety for public utility drivers is a big step towards responding to the growing problem of road safety,” said UP-CMCFI president Dr. Roland Tolentino. He further expressed that the undertaking is, likewise, an opportunity to harness the best creative minds of the College in translating live lectures into interesting and entertaining video format for wider dissemination of key knowledge and practice on road safety.

The UP Traffic Safety Model Zone was launched in 2008 with the objective of making the UP-Diliman campus an ideal road traffic management zone that can be emulated in any part of the country.

One of the components of the project is the Toyota Training Room at the NCTS Building in UP-Diliman. It is a fully-equipped training facility used for road safety-related programs nationwide, including the Training Course for Public Utility Drivers.