In addition to developing technologies to help keep occupants safe and minimize the likelihood of accidents, Fiat Group provides safety driving courses and seeks to focus customer attention on proper maintenance of their vehicle.
For years, Alfa Romeo has been a leader in promoting safety, accident prevention and driver education through driving courses organized in collaboration with the Dorado International Safety Driving Center, headed by former Formula 1 champion Andrea de Adamich. The courses, which are aimed at improving driving ability and vehicle control in all conceivable day-to-day situations, consist of two parts: “negative driving,” to improve vehicle control in emergency situations, and “positive driving,” to learn how to anticipate critical situations.
The Abarth brand also promoted safe sports driving, teaching techniques that combine safety with driving pleasure through dedicated driving courses, which in 2011 were provided by the Abarth Driving Academy. Furthermore, in 2011 the brand organized the Make It Your Race driving contest, primarily aimed at young people, to promote safe and responsible driving. Of the more than 5,000 participants in the selection process, 70 received the opportunity to take part in an advanced safe driving course and 20 earned their racing license from ACI-CSAI (Italian Motor Sports Commission of the Automobile Club of Italy).
The Fiorano race track in Maranello (Italy) is the backdrop for Ferrari’s driving courses for customers. The Pilota Ferrari sports driving courses allow participants the chance to progress by advancing through a number of levels. The course also offers a complete program of instruction focused on instilling a comprehensive understanding of safe sports driving techniques. The course provides practical instruction and several theory sessions with the purpose of giving a more in-depth insight into driving techniques and helping drivers analyze vehicle behavior in critical circumstances.
Maserati also organizes safe sports driving courses under the supervision of professional drivers. Open to both aspiring and current Maserati owners, these courses, which have been refined over the last 10 years, are a perfect blend of theory and practice. They have been organized to ensure participants can enjoy an intensive driving experience with a variety of Maserati models in complete safety. This is achieved by providing just the right balance between time on the track and sessions spent on emergency situations, where the cars are driven on different simulated surfaces to recreate emergency conditions.
In addition to promoting safety by offering specific driving courses, Fiat Group also supports public awareness campaigns related to child safety in vehicles and proper vehicle maintenance.
Chrysler Group has a long history of creating programs designed to keep drivers and families safe and is a cofounder of the US SeatCheck program. This initiative teaches parents how to properly secure their children in motor vehicles through free child safety seat inspections carried out by certified technicians.
In 2011, in order to raise awareness among drivers of the effect proper vehicle maintenance has on the functioning of safety devices, Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) continued to offer the Summer Check-Up programs, along with special promotions on vehicle safety components that may need to be replaced. Furthermore, specific sections were introduced in the user and maintenance handbook for a variety of models underscoring the importance of scheduled and timely maintenance necessary to keep a vehicle in original condition. Each FGA vehicle is also equipped with a label to raise customer awareness of the importance of purchasing original spare parts in order to guarantee the proper functioning of passive safety systems.
Another initiative to raise customer awareness on the topic of proper maintenance was developed by Magneti Marelli. Called OBD-Road, this special diagnostic support tool is connected to the OBD (on-board diagnostics) plug. It assesses the quality of conditions of different vehicle subsystems that manage the ignition system (catalytic converters, lambda sensor, etc.) and warns the driver directly in the event of any errors. Through the use of a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, the information is automatically sent to the nearest Magneti Marelli infomobility service center, which then contacts the customer to schedule the necessary repair.
Mopar – the Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer care organization – introduced the Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS). EVTS provides owners added peace of mind by alerting them if their vehicle is being driven too fast or too far over preset parameters. The system is available on Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat North America vehicles. With the introduction of its industry-first EVTS vehicle-tracking system, Mopar earned a Value Chain Award in the automotive category from Connected World magazine for the process of combining multiple mobile-to-mobile technologies to create a winning solution for customers.
