Volkswagen Philippines steps up its award-winning Child Safety Initiative campaign this August to November 2016 by holding five mall tours in various urban centers.

The campaign introduces early childhood safety awareness to children as young as 4 to 8 years of age and imparts important road safety habits to their parents. The project also provides benefits during the rainy season as both motorists and pedestrians are exposed to increased risk of accidents caused by wet, slippery roads and poor visibility during inclement weather.

Volkswagen PH kicks off its CSI campaign on August 6 and 7 at Robinsons Magnolia in New Manila, Quezon City;  August 20 and 21 at Robinsons Place Las Pinas; October 1 and 2 at Robinsons Place Lipa in Batangas;  October 15 and 16 at Robinsons Galleria Cebu; and, November 5 and 6 at Robinsons Place Manila.

For these upcoming CSI tours at Robinsons malls, new features and attractions have been added to the setup. Apart from the miniature simulated roadway within a community (complete with road signages, stoplights, and miniature vehicles) for the kids’ use at the Junior Driving Course, as well as the Child Seat Corner, there will also be a “Pledge Wall,” where children and parents can sign their commitment to the slogan “Child road safety begins with me” using a 6x6-inch pledge sticker that they will sign and subsequently post at the Pledge Wall. Car stickers bearing a similar design as the pledge sticker will also be distributed as souvenirs to participants.

The CSI campaign will also highlight the Petron Seatbelt Impact Simulator in selected malls. The simulator will demonstrate the crash impact of a vehicle running at 5 kph.

Wolfi, the Volkswagen mascot, will be present to liven up the venue and to attract more kids to participate. Wolfi will also serve to enhance the interaction between participants and the CSI campaign instructors and lecturers, as well as facilitate meet-and-greet moments.

Volkswagen PH’s CSI campaign is part of the global CSI strategy of the German automaker rolled out in various countries. The CSI is based on two pillars. One is the prevention of accidents by teaching and educating parents and kids about possible dangers on the roads. The other is to emphasize the passive safety devices of modern-day passenger vehicles, with special focus on the use of age-appropriate child safety seats.

The Volkswagen CSI project was initiated due to alarming statistics as indicated in the 2013 World Health Organization Global status report on road safety: About 1.24 million globally die annually as a result of road traffic crashes (or nearly 3,400 deaths a day).

Volkswagen PH’s CSI campaign, this year’s Silver Anvil awardee of the country’s premier public relations organization (PRSP), has so far been participated in by 6,106 children and 4,670 parents in 29 venues (including 21 malls) since it was introduced at the Manila International Auto Show in April 2015.