Traffic police go soft on underage driving in city

Ravi Chandel

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 16

Underage driving seems to be rampant in the city. Minors not only drive vehicles but also violate traffic rules by often indulging in overspeeding, jumping the red light and taking wrong turns. Sad to say, traffic cops hardly bother to initiate any action against them.

It can be gauged from the fact that city traffic police have issued only 40 challans for underage driving so far this year. Last year, they had issued only 120 challans.

City residents allege that by going soft on underage driving, the traffic police are putting many lives at risk. Besides, the parents who allow their children to ply vehicles on city roads are equally responsible for it.

A school teacher said, “Now-a-days, students are least interested in reaching schools through buses or vans. They instead prefer their own vehicles. As a result, many schools are showing little interest to start school bus service for students studying above Class VIII.”

A traffic cop, who did not wish to be named, said, “Many times we catch children below 18 years of age driving vehicles on roads, but we let them off after issuing them a warning. We only issue challans if they are caught for serious offence.”

When contacted, SP (Traffic) Gurmeet Singh said, “We have organised several traffic awareness programmes in schools to make children and their parents aware of the traffic norms, but it seems that people are not taking it seriously.”

He further stated that it was not only the responsibility of traffic police to put a check on underage driving, parents also had an important role in curbing this.

“In the coming days, we will initiate a drive against underage driving on city roads,” he added.