Mumbai, July 31, 2012: Kolkata’s Sudeep Ranjan Mishra has won this year’s Maruti Suzuki Autocar Young Driver Contest. He won a new A-star hatchback and was declared Maruti Suzuki’s brand ambassador for safe driving.
While Visakh Susan Vincent from Kochi and Mudit Agarwal from Kolkata were the first and second runners-up respectively, Srushty Parsana from Mumbai emerged as the best female driver in the women category.
The contest, open to all individuals between 18-30 years, tests competitors' knowledge of traffic rules, awareness of road safety along with their real-world driving skills. This year there were 21,000 young entrants enthusiasts from as many as 65 cities across the country.
The Young Driver Contest, which promotes road safety/ safe driving habits, has proven to be a huge success since its inception. It is organised by Maruti Suzuki in association with Autocar India, Autocar Professional’s sister magazine.
The contest was held in three phases. In the first phase, competitors had to register for an online theory test on traffic rules, awareness of road safety and knowledge of their cars. Of the 21,000 participants who registered in the first stage, 2,000 made it to the next stage wherein their driving skills and knowledge were tested in a practical exam at 110 Maruti Driving Schools across 65 cities. Twenty finalists undertook a practical driving test at Institute of Driving Training & Research (IDTR), Sarai Kale Khan where they were rated on various parameters of driving and maneuvering the car.
Photograph: L-R: Hormazd Sorabjee, editor, Autocar India, Sudeep Mishra and Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic), New Delhi.