Maruti Suzuki inaugurates Institute of Driving and Traffic Research in Haryana

Indian automobile giant Maruti Suzuki has set up its sixth Institute of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR) in Rohtak, Haryana. Inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the 14 acre facility has a capacity to train 20,000 people annually. The IDTR in Rohtak is a Public-Private Partnership between Maruti Suzuki and the Haryana Government.

The Rohtak IDTR is part of Maruti Suzuki’s national Road Safety initiative which operates at two levels, Corporate Responsibility and Social Responsibility. The IDTRs are a part of the Corporate Responsibility level while Maruti Driving Schools (MDS) that fall under the Social Responsibility level are neighbourhood driving schools set up by Maruti Suzuki in partnership with their dealers. Currently there are 6 IDTRs and 200 MDSs throughout the country. Maruti Suzuki has trained over 5,00,000 people until now under its Road Safety initiative.

The IDTR and MDS driver training programmes are backed by state-of-the-art training curriculums for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, automobiles, commercial vehicles including trucks, buses and other heavy vehicles with the help of driving simulators.

According to a report by International Road Safety Federation, India loses 1,60,000 lives and about Rs. 1 lakh crore every year in road accidents. While India accounts for only 1 percent of the world’s vehicle population it accounts for over 10 percent of global road fatalities. 78 percent of road accidents in India are caused by driver error.

Maruti Suzuki’s Road Safety initiative aims to bring that number down with institutionalised driver training that follow international practices to create educated drivers for safer motoring.