Aswin Bahar Discuss Safety Driving in UPH

Student Executive Board of Universitas Pelita Harapan (BEM-UPH) invited Indonesia?s Automotive Legend, Aswin Bahar, to a talk show which was a part of Safe Driving Campaign 2009 event agenda. The event which was held on April 13th to 16th represented UPH?s second shout out for safety driving since last year.
In the talk show, Bahar explained to the students the steps needed to be or not to be done when driving a car or any other vehicles. He asserted that there are still a lot of people who do not fully understand how to drive safely. ?Our knowledge for driving is just as much as of a cab-driver?s,? he said.

As an expert in the racing world who began his career since 1961, he said, ?The quality of a nation is reflected in its traffic condition.? He observed that the society?s lack of awareness to drive safely is the main cause of the great number of accidents in Indonesia. Just last year, Indonesia?s Vice President Jusuf Kalla, as was cited by Bahar in the talk show, said that about 30.000 people die every year caused by traffic accidents all over Indonesia. According to Metro Jaya traffic department?s data of year 2008, 1.080 people died caused by traffic accidents.

Overlooking the fact, in the talk show Bahar invited UPH students to learn about safety driving. Having achieved more than 550 championships for racing, Bahar fluently shared some tips about how to drive safely, started from how to safely close car?s doors until how to overcome accidents caused by flat tires. Inspite of being a racer, he suggested, ?The point of safety driving is how to stop vehicles safely, not how to drive fast.?

The campaign did not just focus on the talk show. For four days in a row, Safe Driving Campaign 2009 focused on activities which support safety driving such as car test drive, free car check, fun rally, and also slalom demonstration by Aswin Bahar. ?The campaign this time focuses more on application and practice. It does stop at giving out information,? said Safe Driving Campaign 2009 Head Committee, Jogi Huxany Fatah, also an Industrial engineering student in UPH.

To express the university?s support for this campaign, The Head of UPH, Jonathan L. Parapak, announced April 16th as UPH?s safe driving day. He sealed the decision by signing a written agreement for safety driving which will be displayed in UPH?s campus building. He hoped that the agreement could stand as a reminder for UPH students to prioritize safety driving.

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UPH Media Relations