Mumbai's Zubin Antalia has won the inaugural Maruti Suzuki-Autocar Young Driver contest, beating 32 other competitors from across the country. The competition tested their knowledge of traffic rules, awareness of road safety along with their real-world driving skill. The two-month-long contest was held across 12 cities and drew over 4,000 participants.

While giving away an A-star as the grand prize, Maruti Suzuki India executive officer (marketing and sales) Mayank Pareek said, “India is the number one nation in the world in road accident fatalities with over one lakh deaths every year on our roads. Around 78 percent of these accidents happen due to the driver’s fault. Maruti Suzuki has been actively introducing world class driving training and infrastructure across country through Maruti Driving Schools and IDTRs. This Young Driver Contest is one more step to create awareness among the general public.”

Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India and Autocar Professional, said: “The general lack of awareness of traffic rules and safety was evident from the online tests with just 13 out of the 4,000 drivers clocking a full score. Through this initiative, we want to encourage a safe driving culture among the young drivers today.”