Jamshedpur, March 17: Leading car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited launched a driving school at Sonari today evening.

Deputy commissioner of East Singhbhum Nitin Madan Kulkarni inaugurated the driving school — Jamshedpur Driving School. The driving school was opened in collaboration with Pebco Motors Limited, a leading Maruti Suzuki dealer in the city. This is Maruti’s first driving school in eastern India and the 31st in the country.

What makes this driving school different from others is that it is equipped with a simulator. Also, instead of relying on old vehicles for training, the school has pressed three new air-conditioned cars into service for beginners. One more car would soon be added to the existing fleet.

The simulator is a machine on which learners can practise all car controls like steering, accelerator, brake and gear shift before they take out the vehicle on the road.

The simulator inspires confidence in learners as they can learn driving without the risk of any damage or injury, normally associated with learning to drive on the streets.

The simulators can also create various road and weather conditions like fog, dim light, uphill and downhill terrain. As such, learners can practise in all road conditions and get a comprehensive learning experience.

General manager of Maruti Suzuki (driving training schools) R.K. Parimoo, who was present at the inaugural function, said all the instructors have been given proper training for 15 days at the Institute of Driving Training and Research, Maruti Suzuki’s flagship driving school in Delhi.

“The objective of opening the driving school is to bring in professionalism and to curb road mishaps. Opening of the driving school is a part of the company’s corporate social responsibility,” said Parimoo.

According to him, about Rs 45 lakh has been spent to establish the driving school on a 2,000sqft land. The simulator alone costs Rs 15 lakh.

Learners would be given 20 hours of training according to their convenience. The 20 hours of training would include 10 hours of practical, seven hours of theory and three hours of training on the simulator.

Managing director of Pebco Motors Kishan Parikh said that while there are standard package for beginners, the Maruti Driving School would also offer the flexibility of additional learning modules so that learners can design a curriculum of their choice.

According to Parikh, training can be provided to 150 learners in a month. A fee of Rs 3,500 has been fixed for the trainees.

Deputy superintendent of police (traffic) Oman Kongari said that there is a need for more such driving schools in the city.

“We conduct driving sessions before issuing licences to the owners of two-wheelers and four-wheelers. But, that is not enough. Private parties should come forward and set up driving schools that would help make people more aware about the rules of the road,” he said.