Underage driving thrives as traffic police looks the other way in Amritsar

With the city traffic police going soft on violators, the menace of underage driving continues unabated in the holy city.

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Despite the amended stringent provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act coming into force in August last year, school-going children continue to indulge in underage driving right under the nose of traffic police.

When the amendments were implemented, the police had started vigorous campaigns and conducted seminars and awareness programme to sensitise people on the issue. School authorities had also put up boards at the entrance of their institutions, disallowing vehicles on the school premises. However, the enthusiasm did not last long and the situation was back to square one soon.

As per traffic police data, only 17 challans were issued for underage driving during 2024. All such cases were forwarded to the court for further proceedings.

Four months later, schoolchildren could be seen driving two-wheelers without any fear of law and that too without taking any safety measures, including wearing helmets. They also indulge in other violations, including triple riding. Some children could be seen driving heavy bikes (Bullet) and creating noise pollution using modified silencers.

Advocate Sarabjit Singh said minors could also be seen driving cars and SUVs, but police personnel hesitate to act against them.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, “It is wrong to say that we are lenient in our approach. This being an old and tourist city, our emphasis is more on regulating traffic… Parents are equally responsible as they hand over motor vehicles to their underage children despite knowing that it was illegal. During our Sampark (police-public) meeting, we also dwell on such issues.”

As per the Act, parents of children indulging in underage driving would have to pay a fine of up to Rs 25,000. They could also be sentenced to three-year jail. Under the law, a minor who violates underage driving rules, would be debarred from obtaining a driving license until he/she attains the age of 25 years. The registration of the non-permitted motor vehicle used by a minor would also be cancelled for 12 months.