A representative of the organisers announces Car Care Day 2015 in Ha Noi. — Photo tinhte.vn

The event will take place in the two major cities, Ha Noi on November 14 and 15, and HCM City on December 19 and 20, respectively, it was announced at a press conference.

This is the first time the seven top brands in the automobile and spare parts segment including Bridgestone, BMW, Shell, GS, and Bosch, in addition to 3M Liberty and Benh Vien O To, have co-operated to provide thorough car care services to customers.

The event is expected to receive a positive response from customers thanks to its humanity and community service message. Significantly, Car Care Day 2015 also appeals to the car user community to respond to the message introduced by the United Nations "Do not text and drive".

Bridgestone Vietnam and Benh Vien O To continue to be in the vanguard of introducing and transferring this urgent message in Viet Nam.

Being equipped with a basic knowledge of vehicles is very essential. According to a survey conducted on over 700 customers at Car Care Day 2014, approximately 50 per cent of them were not able to change tyres by themselves, 43 per cent of cars needed a paint job, up to 77 per cent of batteries needed purifying, and 30 per cent of cars were facing transmission errors.

In addition, a huge number of car users were quite confused about how to deal with on-road incidents. Therefore, it was essential that car users equip themselves with basic knowledge relating to their vehicles. Once having fully understood the vehicles, car users can feel confident behind the steering, and contribute to safer driving. It is also what Car Care Day has focussed on to build a safer, more civilised and friendly automotive community.

Do not text and drive

According to a Opera's research, Viet Nam belongs to the top "4P" (4 powerhouse) using smart phones in Asia, with the proportion of smart phone usage increasing by 545 per cent since 2013, expressing the explosion in mobile phone demands in Viet Nam. However, the mobile phone habits of the Vietnamese face a number of taxing issues, especially when driving on roads.

In another research of The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), texting while driving can cause 23 times as many accidents, which is also the major cause of distraction - the reason for 65 per cent of traffic accidents.

Tran Hong Ninh, CEO of Benh Vien O To said, "At the Car Care Day 2014, when asked whether they text and drive at the same time, more than 31 per cent of participating customers acknowledged that they did."

"Texting while driving goes against the very nature of traffic safety, threatening the lives of drivers and that of others. We hope the automotive community in Viet Nam will be with us in responding to the message and take a pledge ‘Do not text and drive' to build a safe and civilised traffic community in Viet Nam. Since ‘For Viet Auto Community' always considers safety the priority," he said.

Hiroyuki Saito, General Director of Bridgestone Vietnam added , "Not texting while driving also shows the awareness and responsibilities of drivers, which is one of the core values of the campaign ‘Drive in style', recently introduced by Bridgestone Vietnam."

The programme is also an appeal to families with juveniles to build awareness of "Do not text and drive", since the habit of texting by parents while driving can also affect the behaviour of their children.

According to Opera, the proportion of smartphone usage in "4P" nations is mostly among juveniles, with the average age under 24. In Viet Nam, 50 per cent of mobile phone users are under 19 years of age. – VNS