Mumbaikars leave their mark in Maruti Suzuki Young Driver Contest

Maruti Suzuki-Auto Car Young Driver Contest 2012 has selected 225 talented drivers from Mumbai for its second round. Through this contest, the automobile manufacturer aims to generate awareness among young people about safe driving habits. The initiative by the group has elicited tremendous response from youngsters across India, with more than 21,000 registrations from all over the nation. Mumbai led the list with most number of online registrations coming from the Maharashtra capital. The selected drivers will compete with each other, for a place in the city finals and shall be judged on the basis of their driving skills.

Anybody in the age group of 18 to 30 years and possessing a valid driving license was allowed to participate in the contest, the first round of which drew curtains on 8th June 2012. In the first round, contestants from all over India went through an online driving skill test, after which a total of 1123 contestants were selected for the second round. In this round, the contestants will have to compete in a practical driving test, to be organised in 65 Indian cities at the 110 Maruti driving schools. Among them, 20 best drivers will make it to the third and final round, slated to be held at the Institute of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR), New Delhi.

Mr. Mayank Pareek, COO, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, present on the occasion was quite happy with the success of the initiative. “The impressive response from various cities this year shows that the level of awareness regarding road safety has risen remarkably amongst the youth”, Mr. Pareek said. Further elaborating on the importance of driving safety, he said, “For over a decade now Maruti Suzuki has been working on road safety and safe driving through a number of nationwide initiatives. The company strongly believes that since youth are the key drivers of any change, their active involvement through such contests will accelerate the process of spreading awareness on the issue of road safety”.

Maruti Suzuki has a history of taking new initiatives to promote safe and well behaved driving. To promote healthy driving by teaching proper driving skills, the company has set up Maruti Suzuki driving schools in several urban neighbourhoods. At these schools, the trainees are taught the skills of driving under the best supervision, and with the help of most advanced training apparatus. Similarly, the group has set up Institute of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR) in the states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Gujarat. The idea behind setting up the institute was to introduce international standard training facilities in the country.

The winner of this edition of Maruti Suzuki-Auto Car Young Driver Contest will don the role of a ‘Safety Ambassador’ to encourage safe driving among youngsters. He will also be awarded with the grand prize of ' Maruti Suzuki A-Star' for winning the contest.