Young offenders run amok

Gurvinder Singh in Ludhiana 

September started on a bloody note for Ludhiana as a 45-year-old man lost his life after collision with an underage Activa driver. Despite fleeting public memory, the image of a mangled SUV against a wall in Sarabha Nagar in June remains fresh. Before ramming into the wall, the rashly driven vehicle had hit a pedestrian, a stationary scooter, a motorcycle and another car. The car was allegedly being driven by an underage driver. And we all remember that cop clinging to the bonnet of the Merc that rammed into him on Pakhowal Road... The driver again was underage.

Young boys raging down the road, triple-riding, driving on wrong side and without helmet are ubiquitous. All done for fun, these infractions of road rules take a serious turn when accidents snuff out lives or put a bloody full stop to their own young lives.

Enforcement of road rules remains inadequate because of the sheer magnitude of violations. And challans — 44 were handed out to underage drivers in Ludhiana city last month — are only tip of the iceberg. The figure for the year has been 264 so far. Last year, the number of challans issued for underage driving was 360.

According to rules, individuals between 16 to 18 years and having learners’ licence can be allowed to drive a gearless vehicle up to 50 cc. However, giving in to the demands of children, they are handed motorcycles, superbikes and even cars. Most schools ‘officially’ don’t allow students to come on vehicles. But who is bothered about two-wheelers lined up in the vicinity of the schools, all driven by students?

Experts feel lack of a cohesive policy and absence of infrastructure are reasons behind underage driving. Navdeep Asija, traffic adviser to Punjab Government, feels a multipronged policy is a must for finding a solution to this problem. “Principals should be held accountable for vehicles parked within and 400 metres around the school. Apart from holding parents accountable and punishing them for under-age driving, tuition centres and coaching institutes should be told to ban students from commuting through personal vehicles. Subsidised public transport can be a solution,” he suggests. Apart from this, better infrastructure, including proper footpaths, cycling paths, etc. are some of the way outs.

Rahul Verma, member of Punjab State Road Safety Council, puts the onus on the court. “At several places, including Chandigarh, parents have to accompany their underage children to the court when challaned. In Bengaluru, there have been instances of parents being put behind the bars. But here, paying fines through agents suffices. The courts need to act stricter,” he says. 

ADCP Traffic Sukhpal Brar says parents provide vehicles for their kids as they cannot spare time to pick and drop children, risking their lives. Permitting their underage children to drive is the first violation of rules by parents, which encourages the youth to flout other rules as well, he points.   

Dr Rupinder Kala, a psychologist, says parents must realise that human brain continues to grow till the age of 18 or 21, and they tend to act on impulse and aggression amid raging hormones even on road. “Parents must become role models for their children and show them, right from young age, that red lights are not to be crossed and laws not to be violated,” says Dr Kala.