India’s leading passenger vehicle maker, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government of Andhra Pradesh, to set up, manage and run Institute of Driving Training and Traffic Research at Venkatachalam village in Darsi, Prakasham district of the state.

The MoU was signed by Mr. N. Balasubramanyam, Transport Commissioner, State of Andhra Pradesh and Mr. Mahesh Rajoria, Assistant Vice President (Driving Training), Maruti Suzuki India Limited in the presence of dignitaries from Government of Andhra Pradesh and Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT).

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mahesh Rajoria, Assistant Vice President (Driving Training), Maruti Suzuki, said, “The inception of Driving Training and Traffic Research Institutes was with an aim to upscale professional driver training and lay down the ground rules for safe driving. Maruti Suzuki has been working on this front for over a decade now. I am confident that our experience in this field of road safety will add immense value to this newest facility.”

The infrastructure spread across 20 acres of land will be provided by the Andhra Pradesh Government, while Maruti Suzuki will run and manage the institute. The facility to be built as per the MoRTH guidelines shall consist of an institute building, a hostel and training tracks will all required formation. The infrastructure is expected to be complete by 2018.

Set up under the PPP model, this will be Maruti Suzuki’s first IDTR in South India. Maruti Suzuki will undertake the training on lines of the other IDTRs including All Gujarat Institute of Driving, Technical Training and Research (AGIDTTR), Vadodara. The Company plans to collaborate with the various government departments like Tribal Development Department to promote road safety and driving as an employment opportunity among the tribal youth of Andhra Pradesh. The main focus is to make people employable hence additional training in personality, hygiene, courtesy and communication is imparted to the youth. Furthermore, Maruti Suzuki will advise and support the Government for research on matters related to road safety, driving and any other matter which contribute to safety on roads and facilitate in improving the transport system in the state.

Maruti Suzuki and its initiatives for promoting road safety and safe driving in India

Maruti Suzuki’s journey in imparting safe driving started in 2000, with the launch of country’s first IDTR in a public-private partnership with Delhi government. Here, driving skill is imparted using scientifically designed test tracks and driving simulators. Customized training material including multi-media, is used for classroom training for light and heavy vehicle drivers. After the success of the first IDTR, many state governments came forward with a proposal of setting up similar facilities in their state. Today, Maruti Suzuki manages 6 IDTRs (Delhi (2), Haryana (2), Uttarakhand (1) & Gujarat (1)). Another IDTR facility is under construction in Aurangabad, Bihar.

Maruti Driving Schools (MDS) is another step by the Company in imparting safe driving among the public. MDS, opened along with Maruti Suzuki dealer partners, offers world-class driving training with special focus on individual car owners. Advanced classroom and attitudinal training modules along with driving simulators that replicate on-road driving situations provide the learners a first-hand feel of the road before they drive. The Company has over 350 MDS setups nationwide. Cumulatively, Maruti Suzuki has trained over 2.8 million drivers at its driving training infrastructure.