Why Young Driver 2011?

India has one of the worst road safety records in the world. Road accidents claim more lives in this country than any other. India accounts for about 10 percent of road accident fatalities worldwide. Driver education, stricter law enforcement and better infrastructure are the need of the hour. Maruti Suzuki and Autocar India have joined hands to do their bit to make Indian roads a safer place by instituting the Maruti Suzuki - Autocar Young Driver 2011 programme. "Being India's leading car manufacturer, we are committed and responsible to promote safe driving and improve road safety. This event is just one of our endeavours towards achieving safer roads for India. Since Autocar India shares our enthusiasm for this cause, we are pleased to partner with them on this event."
India has the worst road safety record in the world with the maximum number of road related deaths. Autocar India believes that the lack of proper driver training and a lax licensing procedure is the root cause for the high death toll on the Indian roads. The Young Driver programme is aimed at creating a culture for road safety amongst the youth by highlighting the importance of sensible and safe driving skills to make Indian roads more safe. Maruti Suzuki - Autocar Young Driver 2011 is a nationwide search for India's best young driving talent, the winner of this competition will also become the Ambassador for safe driving. This competition tests the competitors' knowledge of traffic rules, awareness of road safety along with their real-world driving skill. This contest is open to all individuals, between the age of 18 and 30, with a valid Indian driving license. The winner will take home a Maruti-Suzuki A-star. This competition has a 2 year legacy, churning out ambassadors of safe driving like Zubin Antalia (Young Driver 2009) and Sumit Kukreja (Young Driver 2010), both of whom have actively promoted safe driving in their brand new Maruti Suzuki A-Star(s).

As an initiative to create awareness and enhance road safety in the country, Maruti Suzuki has developed a network of international standard driving schools known as Maruti Driving School (MDS). First MDS was set up in Bangalore and Kollam in March, 2005. Today there are XX MDS spread across 61 cities across the country and these schools have enrolled more than XXXX trainees so far. After managing MDS operations successfully for last 6 years, MSIL is ready to expand its MDS network further to enhance the impact of its road safety initiatives.