Aiming to Expand Safety Awareness among Turkish People
Baybars Aroma | Honda Turkiye A.S. head of the Motorcycle Education Center
Honda Turkiye A.S. began its traffic safety promotion activities for motorcycles in Turkey in 2005.
Baybars Aroma describes the activities in Turkey.
Traffic Education Center Aimed at Wide Audience
The Motorcycle Education Center was established on the within the grounds of the motorcycle production plant in 2005. Since then, it has provided over 25,000 people with safety motorcycle riding education.
Due to the plant’s closing in 2021, the Center was relocated to a new location near the center of Istanbul, and opened the following year.
The new Motorcycle Education Center covers an area of 12,000 m2, around twice the size of the previous facility, with a new off-road course in addition to the conventional on-road course.
The educational curriculum ranges from beginner to advanced levels according to the customer, and includes practical skills training such as braking, slalom and turning, as well as theory and knowledge classes on safety riding.
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Motorcycle Education Center -
Traffic in Turkey
My most memorable initiative is the “combined course training" which started in 2022.
This is a safety riding training program that takes place on the on- and off-road courses, each half a day long, on different motorcycles. This program was made possible by the addition of the new off-road course at the Motorcycle Education Center, which opened last year.
In the past, many customers were reluctant to participate in off-road training, as it was seen as a hobby. Over time, this program has gradually been accepted by customers and is now one of the most popular training programs as a valuable opportunity to learn the characteristics of each motorcycle and safety riding skills on different surfaces.
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Off-road training -
On-road training
Enhancing Education Program for Children
Since 2014, we have turned our attention also to children's safety and have been teaching them the importance of thinking and becoming aware for their own safety through our “Ayatorii Class” traffic safety education program.
We also decided to hold a parent-child motorcycle class, to avoid children being involved in traffic accidents. The parent-child motorcycle class is a hands-on class in which parents act as the teachers while learning how to operate motorcycles, and learn the importance of traffic rules along with their children. Participants said that it was a very good opportunity for parents and children to communicate with each other and learn the joy of riding motorcycles.
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Ayatorii Class -
Parent-child Class
About Honda’s 2050 Zero Traffic Accident Fatalities Goal
I believe that increasing people's safety awareness will lead to a reduction in traffic fatalities.
To achieve this goal, we will continue with our current activities while considering new ideas and methods to enhance our customers' safety awareness.
Honda Turkiye A.S.Baybars Aroma
Joined Honda in November 1997. Started his career as a product planner in marketing, and has been at the Motorcycle Education Center since 2014. In 2021, he became the head of the Motorcycle Education Center and is currently involved in the center's administrative tasks including business planning and training program development.