Underage driving: Extended deadline ends, Amritsar residents drop wards at schools

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 21

Even as the extended deadline for enforcing underage driving rules ended on Tuesday, children were still found violating the norms at several places in the city. They came to their institutions on two-wheelers and that too without wearing safety headgear.

Despite such incidents of flouting of the norms, the number of violators certainly declined today as majority of students were dropped by their parents and family members at their respective schools. Some students arrived on school transport at their respective educational institutions.

The underage driving rules were to be implemented on August 1, but during awareness programmes organised by the traffic police, parents had sought some time for preparing learning licences and procuring vehicles under the stipulated norms for their wards. The police extended the deadline by 20 days on parents’ pleas.

Traffic cops also kept a vigil near school gates to catch violators of underage driving rules today. Harpal Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Traffic, said from today onwards, the police implemented the underage driving norms in letter and spirit. He said no underage kid would be allowed to drive vehicles other than those stipulated under the rules.

“It's good that if residents understand the value of following the traffic norms. It's the collective responsibility of all members of society to make our roads accident free by abiding by the traffic rules,” the ADCP said.

Under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, a penalty of Rs 25,000 can be imposed on parents of an underage driver, besides an imprisonment of three years or both.