BMW's driving safety campaign aims to protect children on the roads

BMW advocates good traffic behavior among drivers to create a safe traffic environment for children, launching the BMW Good Driver campaign as part of its 2017 BMW Children's Traffic Safety Education program, also known as CTSE.

After kicking off recently in Beijing, this year's CTSE program inaugurates the BMW Good Driver initiative to reduce offensive driving behavior that endangers children's traffic safety, with the slogan "Join Hands for Children's Safety on the Move".

BMW has focused on road safety for decades, launching the nationwide BMW CTSE program in 2005, as the first CSR program committed to children's road safety.

Johann Wieland, president & CEO of BMW Brilliance Automotive, along with BMW's dealers, customers and associates, launched the BMW Good Driver campaign in Chaoyang Park, calling for stakeholders to contribute to children's road safety by promoting civilized traffic conduct and enhancing drivers' safety awareness.

As the premium German brand's first and longest-running corporate social responsibility program, CTSE will tour around the provinces of Zhejiang, Guizhou, Liaoning and Hunan over the next five months.

"BMW CTSE has persevered in the field for 13 years, becoming the longest-running children's road safety CSR project in the Chinese auto industry," said Wieland.

"In the future, we will continue to leverage our core competencies and lead by example, motivating different parties with the same interests to create a better, safer road environment for children," he continued.

2017 BMW CTSE emphasizes the use of technology and interactive scenario-based teaching methods. It is introducing the new AnAn Magic Lab where children embark on a magical road safety journey through cutting-edge augmented reality technology. In addition, the AnAn School Bus provides self-help knowledge and road safety skills for real-life scenarios. The AnAn Train-the-Trainer Classroom has upgraded too, teaching practical knowledge on traffic safety through individual experiences shared by a children's psychology expert. BMW Brilliance is introducing a children's traffic safety book series, BMW Children's Traffic Safety Education-the Magic Castle of Safety Education, and state-of-the-art 4-D augmented reality teaching tools, in partnership with China Children's Press & Publication Group.

The book series presents six real scenarios that are likely to occur in children's daily life, covering more than 100 aspects of traffic safety knowledge. Primary and secondary school children will receive the training in certain regions, to enhance parents' and children's safety knowledge.

"The mission to improve children's road traffic safety is a monumental one and also arduous. At the same time, we hope parents earnestly fulfill their duties as guardians and set good examples for children in terms of traffic safety," said Zhang Ming, an official at Traffic Management Bureau of the Public Security Ministry.

She also called for more companies related to the auto industry to join the charity-based traffic safety promotion alliance just as the early members did, including BMW, and to actively fulfill CSR by launching promotional charity activities and innovations.

Wieland noted that as an industry advocator that engages in strategic CSR, each of BMW's CSR programs originates from first identifying a specific social problem.

The BMW Good Driver campaign - initiated by BMW and targeting drivers - encourages the public to participate by sharing photos and videos of their own courteous travel habits through social platforms.

The company will promote various knowledge and behaviors by leveraging creative approaches through social media, according to Molly Yang, vice-president of public relations & CSR at BMW Brilliance Automotive.

She said that: "BMW Good Driver is a long-term campaign designed to be sustainable. The topics may switch periodically. For example, it would be the Dutch Reach technique for opening doors and later focus instead on safety belts and children's safety seats." This campaign is BMW's answer to the government's "China Good Driver" initiative launched by the Traffic Management Bureau of the Public Security Ministry to leverage the strength and influence of automakers and car owner clubs to promote civilized traffic behavior and create a safe environment for children.

The Ministry of Public Security's Road Traffic Safety Research Center and China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention have found about 87.1 percent of traffic accidents involving children are caused by adults' improper driving.

In fact, drivers' poor and illegal driving habits constitute the main threat to children's road safety, according to the Children's Road Traffic Injury Situation in China Research Report.

Over the past decades, BMW has focused on road safety and launched the nationwide project BMW CTSE in 2005, as the first CSR program committed to children's road safety.

It covers issues regarding children's traffic safety, such as child safety seats and knowledge around driving.

Last year, the project innovated in terms of content, design and programs, and provided specific modules for parents and children.

haoyan@chinadaily.com.cn

Highlights

CTSE has expanded its footprint across 64 cities, benefiting more than 400,000 people. On Aug 25, 2016, the first BMW CTSE Experience Center opened in the Shenyang Science Centrum. It is BMW's first permanent public indoor center and the first non-profit children's traffic safety experiential venue in Northeast China. A bear mascot named AnAn has taken on the role of a child to educate children and their parents in a range of events during the program.

Upgraded AnAn Train-the-Trainer Classroom:

A children's psychology expert shares practical knowledge on traffic safety by sharing individuals' experiences.

AnAn Magic Lab:

Children embark on a magical road safety journey through teaching tools powered by cutting-edge 4-D augmented reality technologies.

AnAn School Bus:

Self-help knowledge and road safety skills are demonstrated in real-life scenarios, and practices are encouraged in a life-size school bus mock-up.

AnAn Traffic School:

Children drive BMW mini-cars to put into practice what they have learned about traffic safety and awareness.

(China Daily 05/22/2017 page19)