Maruti Suzuki India has announced reaching of the milestone of providing driving training to 50 lakh aspirants, cumulatively. The milestone includes cumulative figures of the candidates being trained in learner, refresher and evaluation courses at its network of driving training facilities – Maruti Suzuki Driving Schools (MDS) and Institutes of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR) – across the country.

Established with an aim to provide best-in-class facilities for driver training and make Indian roads safer, these training facilities cater to learner as well as existing drivers for private and commercial vehicles.

The company says road safety is core to its CSR initiatives and it has undertaken social initiatives targeting different aspects of road safety management and driving training. While the Maruti Driving Schools are managed by the company’s dealers, the IDTRs are managed by the company in partnership with the respective State governments. Through these initiatives, the company has introduced global standards for quality driving training, through a scientifically designed curriculum consisting of theory as well as practical training.

Maruti Suzuki India’s driving training initiative, which began in 2000, has grown over the years to reach 480 Maruti Driving Schools and 7 IDTRs (two each in Haryana, and Delhi NCR, one each in Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Bihar). 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 and forklifts.

Ajay Kumar Tomer, executive advisor, CSR, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “The milestone of 50 lakh trainees from Maruti Suzuki driving institutes is a testament of our commitment to road safety. Promoting safe driving is our collective social responsibility and we urge every responsible citizen to learn scientific way of driving and focus on technical and behavioral. With the network of training facilities, Maruti Suzuki has introduced global levels of quality training for driving to make the roads safer across the country.”