Maruti Suzuki Opens Its 450th Driving School In India

Maruti Suzuki today announced the inauguration of its 450th Driving School in India. The newest Maruti Driving School has been opened in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, expanding the network to 212 cities across the country. The company claims that over 5.3 lakh people have received training from Maruti Driving School in the last five years, out of which over 1.75 lakh people were trained in 2017-18 alone. The company also pointed out that out the total number of people who have received training from MDS across India, 46 per cent are women drivers.

Maruti Driving Schools (MDS) are advanced training centres that are equipped with special driving simulators that replicate the Indian driving conditions. The centres use specially designed vehicles are used to offer practical training and students are also provided with classroom theory lectures, which are based on a scientific and structured curriculum. In fact, instructors themselves have to undergo a rigorous driving training and also follow refresher courses every year, which ensures that quality training is given to the people.

Commenting on the inauguration of the latest driving school, R S Kalsi, Senior Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said, "Road accidents are the cause of over 1.5 lakh deaths every year in India. Driver fault is seen as a prominent reason for such accidents. As a leader, Maruti Suzuki initiated a structured and contemporary driving skill program in 2005. Based on international best practices this Maruti Driving School initiative has so far trained over 1 million people. We believe that a scientifically designed driving training program will help to make Indian roads safer. Our aim is to continue expanding the Maruti Driving School network and train 15 lakh people on quality driving skills through MDS by 2020."

In addition to its own Maruti Driving School, the carmaker also manages seven Institute of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTRs) across the country in partnership with State Governments. IDTRs centres offer advanced driving training, promote the use of technologies such as driving simulators, and also train driving instructors.