Underage driving: 20 days’ time given to spread awareness

Shivani Bhakoo
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 1
The Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act was supposed to be implemented from today onwards to act strictly against underage driving but on requests made by parents and grandparents of students, it would be done from August 20. The 20 days’ period has been given to all to spread awareness about the Act and its strict implementation.
Gurpreet Purewal, ADCP (Traffic) told The Tribune that no challan against underage driving was issued today as the implementation of the Act had been extended for 20 days to spread awareness on the requests made by parents and grandparents of students.
Meanwhile, authorities of schools said as compared to other days, less number of students had come riding two-wheelers or driving four-wheelers. “Some had come using their own vehicles to school but the number was much less as most of the students either came in buses or were dropped by their parents,” said Harmit Kaur Waraich, principal, Nankana Public School.
One of the teachers at a leading school in the Civil Lines said many parents had visited the school and they had requested to extend the date of implementation of the amended Act.
“Now, students cannot even force their parents to allow them to ride two-wheelers or drive cars as now, the law would be stricter. Still, many parents want their children to be allowed to come to school on their own, using two-wheelers or four wheelers. It is surprising that the parents are not ready to take the responsibility of dropping and picking up their children. It is good that some more time is given by the authorities to make arrangements so that precious lives are not lost due to underage driving,” the teacher said.