Jaguar Land Rover's 'Technology For Good' helps prevent traffic tragedies

With nearly 20,000 children in China injured in traffic accidents every single year, Jaguar Land Rover is rising to the challenge to combat the growing dangers that are emerging as mobility evolves.

As new innovative technologies, like bike sharing and autonomous driving, continue to gather steam, the British automaker is leading the charge and looking to ensure the safety of future generations.

With the recent opening of the Jaguar Land Rover Road Safety Experience Center, Beijing is now home to a beacon of road safety education for the children and youth of China.

The experience center will play host to a widespread array of advanced technology that will educate and engage children, students, teachers and parents alike on the crucial topic of road safety.

The center's opening ceremony on March 23 was attended by several hundred guests, including Tang Jiuhong, head of the funds department at the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation; Anthea Wang, executive vice-president of public relations and corporate communications at Jaguar Land Rover China; Mark Wareing, minister-counselor and director for advanced manufacturing, innovation, transport and technology at British Embassy in Beijing; Guo Xinbao, director of strategic communications and PR, CSCLF Youth Technology and Cultural Exchange Center.

The experience center is the automaker's first to open in China, a show of the company's deep commitment and loyalty to the Chinese community.

Following the joint establishment of the Jaguar Land Rover China Children & Youth Dream Fund in 2014, CSCLF and Jaguar Land Rover felt a growing concern for road safety and in 2015, agreed to work together on this crucial area, aligning with one of the key projects of China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15). The groundbreaking new facility is located in CSCLF's Science and Technology Training Base for Young Children, and brings together extensive resources of the two parties, to create a permanent hub of road safety education.

"After three years of inspections, design revisions, endless discussions and construction, the Road Safety Experience Center has finally been opened," said Tang. "As part of yet another successful collaboration between CSCLF and Jaguar Land Rover, this joint effort will provide a professional, scientific and fun road safety education experience that will support the healthy development of children and youth."

Experience & professionalism

The 500-square-meter training base is split up into four distinct zones, catering specifically to children aged 3 to 8 years old.

The Little Engineer, Little Defender, Future Dreamer, and Super Lab zones focus on car parts, building safe road habits, future mobility, and safety awareness respectively, through the expansive interactive features of the center.

These zones are all designed to provide a fun and engaging experience for children, while still imparting necessary road safety knowledge.

Highly qualified full-time instructors have also been employed at the experience center to guide children through the comprehensive network of road safety information cutting-edge technology and professional service, ensuring that everyone comes away with an engaging and multidimensional learning experience.

Technology for Good

As a pioneer of future mobility, Jaguar Land Rover has embraced the idea of Technology for Good - technology that can contribute to communities and enhance public welfare.

Featuring 23 interactive facilities that utilize their advanced digital technologies and equipment, including virtual reality, augmented reality, cutting-edge motion-sensing technology and dynamic 4D experiences, the center has embraced Technology for Good and brought these future-thinking education concepts to life. "Jaguar Land Rover has embraced a forward-thinking concept of Technology for Good, leveraging our extensive science and technology resources to elevate our corporate social responsibility programs and enhance road safety awareness among children and all communities," said Anthea Wang, executive vice-president of public relations and corporate communications at Jaguar Land Rover China.

Integrating innovation with CSR

With public welfare at the heart of its corporate culture, Jaguar Land Rover is integrating its cutting-edge research and development, and localization of science and technology into benchmark CSR programs.

The Road Safety Center will sit at the heart of the Jaguar Land Rover Safety Education program, which will educate children, parents, dealers, vehicle owners, and all manner of groups through their innovative initiatives. Beneficiaries can then pass on their knowledge and enhance the long-term sustainable impact of the program.

Outstanding children, for instance, will be trained and recruited as Little Defender volunteers, to participate in and champion road safety across their communities.

The Jaguar Land Rover Road Safety Experience Centre breaks from tradition to create a new, effective and forward-thinking educational model.

This flagship center has been recognized by the British embassy, and its cutting-edge technology and expert direction will inspire the imagination and creativity of children for future mobility.

This facility will be a key part of Jaguar Land Rover's Dream Fund program over the next three years as the company build toward a mutually beneficial and sustainable CSR ecosystem, adding yet another success story to Jaguar Land Rover's network of goodwill.

(China Daily 03/28/2018 page15)