Driving school to implement 'Safe Drive Save Life' evokes great response

The Toyota driving school, set up to produce "proper" commercial and owner drivers to implement Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Safe Drive Save Life project, has evoked great enthusiasm among motorists in the city.

The school had been inaugurated by the state Transport minister Suvendu Adhikari in presence of Principal Secretary (Transport) Alapan Bandyopadhyay and principal secretary, technical education, Hirdyesh Mohan. It may be mentioned that the Technical Education department has prepared an elaborate scheme to provide driving lessons to the drivers of commercial vehicles to start with and later, it will be imparted to all categories of drivers in the ITIs.

The training programme of the drivers has been prepared by Toyota and the school is the fifth of its kind opened by the automobile giant in the country.

There are four classes on simulators which are followed by 11 practical classes, three theoretical classes and one class in the workshop. The duration of the course is 21 hours spreading over 15 days.

The start classes are for the beginners and the smart ones are for those who want to upgrade their driving skills, particularly those who will be driving cabs and commercial vehicles.

The students of both the categories are given training in lane driving and are taught about the signs and signals. In the second level, they are taught about the manners and attitude while in the third and fourth levels they are imparted technical training along with the ability to take quick decisions while driving and in the fifth level they are taught how to tackle vehicles that behave abnormally, maintenance of vehicles and first aid. More emphasis is given on the attitude and manners to those who are put in the smart class.

In the simulators, training is given how to drive a vehicle during day or night, rain, fog and snow. There are 11 practical classes. As training is given on simulators first it becomes easier for the learners to handle the vehicle in a better way when they are actually driving on the road.