Date to enforce underage driving law extended after parents appeal

PK Jaiswar
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, August 2
Following requests from parents of schoolchildren, the Punjab Police have decided to give relaxation for the period of 20 days before enforcing the laws regarding underage driving in letter and spirit which otherwise would have been implemented from Thursday (August 1).

A day after the extension of the deadline, schoolchildren were back driving two-wheelers. Not only they were violating norms by indulging in underage driving, but also they did not wear helmets.
During the month-long awareness campaigns in schools, parents had approached the police and government representatives for extending the deadline for few more days on the plea that it would become difficult for their kids to go from schools to tuition centres. They sought time for making alternate transport arrangements for their children.
“Children studying in higher and senior secondary classes take tuitions for different subjects at several centres. It would become difficult for them to go from one place to other without two- wheelers,” said Randeep Singh, a resident of the Guru Arjan Dev Nagar area. He said practically it was impossible for majority of working couples to pick and drop their children from tuition centres located in different areas of the city.
Harpal Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Traffic, said, “We received requests from residents for seeking some time so that they could make some alternate transport arrangements for their children.”
“There are some issues, which senior police authorities think need to be addressed, before enforcing the law, especially regarding underage driving,” the ADCP said.
He said ADGP, Traffic and road safety, extended the deadline for the implementation of the underage driving law till August 20.
Officials of the Police Department clarified that children between the age of 16 and 18 years could drive only low speed e-vehicles. They said, “High speed e-vehicles are those for which registration certificate is issued with a green registration number plate. Even normal scooters and two-wheelers, which have above 110cc engines, cannot be driven by children less than 18 years of age.”
Another problem the traffic police is facing is regarding impounded vehicles. The police does not have any particular place where these vehicles could be parked. Also, a resident shows less interest in getting an impounded vehicle released if its market value is less than the fine of Rs 25,000 imposed on him/her.
Pawan Sharma, another resident, said the police must ensure that people wear helmets while driving two-wheelers as head injury was a major cause of fatalities in road mishaps.