Traffic congestion on Indian roads is on a rise and one can often spot teenagers driving recklessly on the roads. These youngsters who do not have a driving license often zigzag their cars and bikes from their homes, which many-a-times results in horrifying road accidents.
While underage motorists can be spotted driving carelessly in almost all parts of the country, the magnitude of this problem in Hyderabad has peaked in recent times. Let’s take a look at some of the recent cases:
– On January 10, 2018, the Hyderabad Police arrested a minor boy for injuring four people in a car accident. Upon interrogation, the minor revealed that he took the car of friend’s father Janardhan when his driver was going to pick up his son insisting that he knew how to drive. But when four people suddenly came in front of his car, he accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the breaks leading to the accident.
– On February 5, 2018, a 12-year-old boy, Riyaz, died in an accident after he fell off the pillion seat of a bike that his 14-year-old friend, Junaid, was driving. The accident took place when Junaid was trying to overtake a truck that he lost his balance leading to the horrific accident.
However, this issue isn’t a new one. Statistics from past two years alone can prove the amount of damage that underage driving has caused in the city. In 2016, the Hyderabad Police booked over 2,700 minors and collected a whopping Rs 7,23,900 in fines. In 2017, the cops arrested over 1,000 minors while over 130 minor riders were killed in various road accidents throughout the year.
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How is Hyderabad Police tacking this issue?
Hyderabad Police has come up with a unique way of tackling this issue. Instead of arresting the minor drivers, the cops are now punishing the parents of these motorists for letting them drive without a license. In past one month, the cops have arrested nearly 69 parents for allowing their minor kids to drive.
According to a PTI report, the Hyderabad Traffic Police (HTP) launched a drive to check the practice of underage driving in the first week of February following a series of ghastly road accidents in the city.
Subsequently, parents of 69 teenagers, in the age group of 14-16 years who were found driving bikes, scooters, cars and in some cases even three-wheelers without a driving licence, were jailed for a period ranging from one to three days. In addition to that, fine was also imposed on them under the relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act for violating the rules pertaining to underage driving.
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As per the reports, while the parents were prosecuted under section 180 of the Motor Vehicles Act for allowing unauthorised persons to drive vehicles, minor drivers were prosecuted under section 181 of the Act for driving without a licence.
Hyderabad Police said that their drive against underage driving will continue throughout the year.
