Volkswagen PH’s 3rd Child Safety Initiative at Robinsons Galleria Cebu on Oct. 19 to 21

This 2016 file photo shows a Junior Driving Course featuring a miniature simulated roadway within a community, complete with road signages, stoplights, and Volkswagen push cars for kids to use./file

VOLKSWAGEN Philippines, the official importer and distributor of Volkswagen vehicles in the country, is set to hold the third activation of the award-winning Child Safety Initiative (CSI) road safety campaign in the Visayas from October 19 to 21 at the Robinsons Galleria Cebu Atrium.

The activation opens from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the three-day event, which also presents a display and public test drive of Volkswagen Philippines’ three groundbreaking models: the Santana MPI M/T Trendline, the Lavida 230 TSI DSG Comfortline, and the Tiguan 280 TSI DSG Comfortline.

The previous implementations of the CSI campaign in the Visayas were in October 2016 and March 2018 at Robinsons Mall and Ayala Center Cebu, respectively.

The CSI campaign, launched in April 2015 during the Manila International Auto Show, aims to introduce early childhood safety awareness to children of 4 to 8 years of age with the Junior Driving Course module, while imparting important road safety habits to their parents.

The Junior Driving Course features a miniature simulated roadway within a community (complete with road signages, stoplights, and miniature vehicles) for the kids’ use as well as the Child Seat Corner that emphasizes the passive safety devices of modern-day passenger vehicles, with special focus on the use of age-appropriate child safety seats. It also draws in kids and their parents with a video show, primer, and coloring book activity.

Graduates of the Junior Driving Course receive their Volkswagen Junior Driver’s License, and hopefully these kids and their parents have removed themselves from being potentially part of the tragic statistics of road accidents.

Since the start of the CSI campaign in 2015, a total of over 10,000 kids and more than 7,000 parent observers have participated in its 52 activations in various malls, schools, institutions, and in Volkswagen dealerships.

Volkswagen Philippines’ flagship CSR program has also garnered five citations, including the Silver Award from Anvil, Gold Award from the Society of Philippine Motoring Journalists’ Driven to Serve and Stig Awards from Top Gear Philippines (for three consecutive years).

With the help and support from partners the Philippine Global Road Safety Partnership (PGRSP), the local Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Rotaract Club of Cebu Fuente USC Chapter, the CITOM, Robinsons Malls, and Volkswagen Cebu, the third CSI campaign in Cebu is expected to provide heightened public awareness on importance of road safety.

The CSI campaign emphasizes the timeliness and urgency of pedestrian and motorist safety efforts. According to figures released by the Philippine Statistics Office in May 2017, an average of 34 Filipinos are killed every day in road accidents, and that the main cause of deaths among Filipino youths aged 15 to 19 are road accidents. It also revealed that transport-related crashes increased sharply from 15,572 in 2014 to 24,565 in 2016.

The pre-event registration to the CSI activation is now open. One can call Angie Antonio at 032 401 2673 or 0906 292 8315 to register.