Underage driving: Parents to face music, cops to feel the heat too

Shivani Bhakoo

Ludhiana, July 22

Beware underage drivers, from August 1, if any underaged is caught riding a two-wheeler or driving a four-wheeler, parents will have to bear the brunt. The new amendment in Motor Vehicles Act says if any underaged driver is caught, parents would be sent to imprisonment up to three years and a fine of Rs 25,000 will be imposed. And in case, the under-aged driver borrows the two-wheeler or four-wheeler from anybody else, the owner of the vehicle will be punished. Now, all eyes are on law-enforcing agencies, how they will implement the Act in a strict manner as maximum youngsters under the age of 18 years openly flout the norms, go to schools on two-wheelers/four wheelers, rashly drive vehicles in evenings. The letter regarding the amendment to the Act comes from the ADGP, Traffic and Road Safety, Punjab.

The ADGP has also suggested to organise awareness camps regarding the amendment to the Act.

Talking on the recent development, Principal of Nankana Sahib Public School Harmit Kaur Waraich said it was a wonderful decision taken by the authorities. She said it should had been in force long time ago as rash driving had claimed several lives. “Over 300 students in our school come on two-wheelers and four- wheelers. We do request the parents regarding the same but all our efforts go waste. Law-enforcement agencies visit schools once or twice and again, the students start coming to schools by driving their own vehicles”, she said.

A parent, wishing not to be quoted, whose daughter was badly injured in a fatal accident about three years ago on a canal road said: ”Peer pressure on the children is too bad. Four students were going in the car when the driver lost control over the vehicle and it turned turtle. If we can implement everything in a strict manner in Chandigarh, which is just about 100 km away from the city, why cannot implement the directions here?”

In almost all leading schools of the city, a good number of students come either riding two-wheelers or driving four-wheelers hurriedly, driving these in a rashly manner but neither parents, nor school authorities or the law-enforcing agencies discourage underage driving. The parents openly say that their wards refuse to listen to them.

“Strictness means now all will be held accountable — parents, schools and law-enforcing agencies. The more fines and challans are issued by the police, better will be the implementation of the directions. Since the police have told to make the masses aware, the ball is in their court to get it implemented in a strict manner,” said Reena Malhotra, principal of a play-way school near the Division Number 3 police station.