Bihar ropes in Maruti Suzuki to automate 5 more driving test tracks

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has so far automated 27 driving test tracks in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Haryana

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Automated driving test tracks Bihar
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Patna: Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) on Wednesday (Dec 18) signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the transport department, government of Bihar, to automate driving license test tracks at Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Purnia and Saran. 

The MoA was signed by state transport commissioner Navin Kumar on behalf of the transport department and senior vice president, corporate social responsibility, Maruti Suzuki, Tarun Agarwal in presence of transport minister Sheela Kumari and transport secretary Sanjay Kumar Agarwal.

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Transport secretary Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said the driving test will be conducted through ultramodern technology under camera surveillance before issuing the license. “After passing the test, licenses will be issued to the applicants. To promote road safety, it has been decided to automate the driving testing track. Under this process, testing will be done automatically without human intervention by computer system. For this, automation of track will be done by Maruti Suzuki under CSR in 5 districts. In the coming days, ultramodern technology based driving testing will be taken in other districts as well,” added Agarwal

On the occasion, MSIL’s executive officer, corporate affairs, Rahul Bharti said, “Maruti Suzuki’s association with the Bihar government goes back to 2018, when we set up the state’s first Institute of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR) to offer driver training in Aurangabad. Since then, we have inaugurated ADTTs at Aurangabad in 2020 and Patna in 2021.”

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He thanked the Bihar government for entrusting the MSIL with this road safety project. “Maruti Suzuki has been steadfast in its commitment to the five pillars of road safety – engineering, education, evaluation, enforcement, and emergency care. Automated driving license testing is a vital component of the ‘evaluation’ process. Equipped with high-definition cameras and an integrated IT system, ADTTs guarantee a comprehensive, efficient, and transparent testing process ensuring that only skilled drivers are awarded licenses,” added Bharti.

Transport minister Sheela Kumari applauded Maruti Suzuki for its commitment to road safety through nationwide programs, which included automated driving test tracks. “This innovative technique ensures that only skilled drivers get a driving license, making our roads safer for everyone. We successfully automated the driving test tracks in Aurangabad and Patna with them and have seen drivers coming better prepared for the license testing,” added the minister. 

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With zero human intervention, the automated driving test tracks are aimed to make license testing more comprehensive, efficient, and transparent. The rigorous and standardized evaluation process is designed to assess candidates according to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR). Test results are also automatically generated.

According to data shared by the Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), 15.3 lakh lives were lost in road accidents in the 10 years between 2014-2023 in India. Road death rate in the country is around 250 per 10,000 km as opposed to 119 in China, 57 in the USA, and 11 in Australia. An important aspect of road safety is the driver’s skill and knowledge of traffic rules.

Maruti Suzuki automated driving test tracks across India

Over the past few years, Maruti Suzuki has systematically automated 27 driving test tracks (across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Haryana). The company is in the process of setting up 12 additional ADTTs in Uttar Pradesh. With the addition of these five test tracks in Bihar, the company will complete automation of 44 driving test tracks across the country.

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