Cumulative enrolment for driving training crosses 3 million across India
Over one million trained at Maruti Driving schools
New Delhi, August 12, 2016: Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), India’s leading passenger vehicle maker, today announced important milestones in its driving training initiatives.
The cumulative enrolment at its various driving training facilities has touched a record 3 million since it started driving training in year 2000. This includes new and existing drivers, for private as well as commercial vehicles, at Institutes of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR) and Maruti Driving Schools (managed by the Company’s dealers).
Besides managing six IDTRs in partnership with state governments, Maruti Suzuki supports safe driving in the country by laying down standards for quality driving training, including a dynamic curriculum covering theory and practice. The Company also provides state-of-the-art driving simulators and training vehicles, and develops instructors to impart quality training.
Mr Mahesh Rajoria, Assistant Vice President, Driving and Training, Maruti Suzuki India said, “We are happy that our driving training initiatives, which started in the year 2000, have now reached the landmark of 3 million enrolments. Road safety is a critical issue for India, and requires a multi-pronged approach including licensing, enforcement, road design, vehicle standards and trauma care. Research and data analysis can help us decide the correct way forward. Government data shows that over 70% road accidents are caused by driver fault. Given this, and the poor quality of driving training infrastructure in India, Maruti Suzuki focuses on setting up world class driving training infrastructure and impart education in safe driving.”
1) Maruti Suzuki Driving Schools (MDS):
MDS are neighbourhood driving schools set up in partnership with Maruti Suzuki’s dealer partners. The driving schools are equipped with advanced driving simulators to create on-road driving situations and offer a mix of classroom and practical training by trained instructors, including women. Almost 50 per cent of those enrolled at MDS are women. The Company encourages people to take up driving as a profession through social programs like Unnati where women are imparted training in etiquettes and customer relations, besides building the skill of safe driving.
Currently over 360 Maruti Driving Schools are operational across the country.
2) Institute of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR):
Maruti Suzuki has set up IDTRs in collaboration with state governments. Equipped with scientifically engineered training and testing tracks of international standards, state-of-the-art driving simulators and well maintained vehicles, these IDTRs follow a structured training content including classroom and practical sessions. The course is imparted by well qualified instructors. Maruti Suzuki manages 6 IDTRs (Two each in Haryana, and Delhi NCR, one each in Uttarakhand and Gujarat). While the MDS focuses on personal car driving, the IDTR additionally trains drivers for commercial driving including trucks, buses and other heavy motor vehicles and taxi & three-wheelers.
IDTR, Vadodara, a successful model of road safety with jobs for underprivileged:
The Company is working closely with the Ministry of Tribal Development in Gujarat to train tribal youth in safe driving. Besides road safety, this residential IDTR facility near Vadodra approaches driving also as an employment opportunity. In addition to good quality driving training, students also receive training in personality, hygiene, courtesy and communication.
Nearly 8000 young tribal people, mostly landless farm workers and unskilled construction workers, have been trained, groomed and employed. Their lives, as those of their families, have transformed,
3) Training to fleet drivers of trucks and trailers:
In addition to the driving training through IDTR and MDS, Maruti Suzuki imparts training to the fleet drivers of trucks and trailers that take away finished vehicles to the dealers. Over 45,000 such drivers have benefitted from such trainings by the Company, over the past 4 years.
4) Road Safety Knowledge Centres (RSKC):
The Company has also established 10 Road Safety Knowledge Centres (RSKC) in partnership with Haryana Transport Department and Haryana Police. Through this RSKC facility, the Company helps local police in traffic management by way of training. Special modules are designed for traffic offenders and licence seekers at the RSKC centres.
