Safe Driver

The Walbrzych region of Poland is a mountainous area with many narrow and winding roads. The area is home to one of Toyota’s two Polish manufacturing plants.

There were many accidents in the area due to the mountainous terrain and a lack of driver skills to cope with this environment. In an effort to reduce the number of accidents and improve safety, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland (TMMP) together with the Walbrzych Safe Driving Academy began the Safe Driver programme in 2006. The programme has been run every year since.

Trainees include Toyota employees, local residents and invited participants such as the media or local authorities. The training includes a theoretical component which comprises safe driving theory, economical and ecological driving, and first aid. Drivers then undertake practical training where they learn how to avoid obstacles and negotiate narrow and difficult bends among other skills. The practical training is conducted in the TMMP parking area.

After the training is complete the best drivers are selected to take part in a competition for the title of Safe Driver. There are a number of different categories including TMMP employee, VIPs, women, and local community.

A dedicated website www.bezieczny-kierowca.pl is available which contains information about safe driving for the wider community as well as details of the training and competition. Articles are also published in local media. The aim of this part of the project is to create a platform of information about safe and economical driving.

The programme is coordinated by two people from TMMP. One person looks after the project as a whole, while the other concentrates on organising training for TMMP employees.