Despite challaning, underage drivers refuse to mend their ways in city
Despite the challaning drive against riding without helmet and underage driving violations, offenders continue to challenge traffic rules. During a survey outside several schools in the city, students were captured driving two-wheelers to and from schools with impunity. Besides, the underage students were not even wearing helmets and triple riding as well.
It has been learnt that schools are not allowing students to park their vehicles on their premises, hence, students park their vehicles alongside the outer wall of the schools. Some even park their vehicles in streets near their schools.
On Tuesday afternoon, during a survey outside the schools, many students were seen riding two- wheelers. Some were even riding in a rash manner. When one of them who was riding a scooter was asked why he is bringing a two-wheeler to school despite not having a driving licence, the student said: “Though I am a minor and not having a licence but I have been bringing the scooter to the school for the past over two years now. My parents have no time to drop and pick me up from the school, hence, they bought me a scooter,” the student added.
Students triple riding on a motorcycle outside a school in the city when asked if they are aware that driving a vehicle without licence may invite heavy penalty, they abruptly said: “We know we are wrong but we are aware about traffic police naka locations due to which we were never caught and challaned.”
As per the data procured from the traffic police, as many as 123 challans of underage driving were issued since January 1 and of these, 39 were issued in January, 32 in February, 18 in March, 23 in April and 11 in May (till May 19).
The traffic police issued huge challans for helmet-less driving this year. From January 1 till date, as many as 12,267 challans were issued and of these, 2,957 were issued in January, 3,003 in February, 2,418 in March, 2,397 in April and 1,492 in May.
ACP (Traffic) Jatin Bansal said traffic policemen had already been issued standing instructions to issue challans for underage driving and triple riding in routine. Awareness drives were also being organised on a timely basis to make school students aware about traffic rules. “I urge parents to not allow their underage wards to drive vehicles to schools,” Bansal said.
