Rs200 Fine collected from minor drivers in ’09

Traffic police records for Ahmedabad state that only Rs200 has been collected as fines from underage drivers in 2009, up to September.

However, with many youngsters yearning for a set of wheels while still in school, an alarming number of teenagers, some as young as 14 or 15 years, are zooming along city roads on snazzy two-wheelers, flouting the stringent rules and regulations imposed by the Ahmedabad traffic department.

This blatant violation of traffic rules has not urged the authorities into critical action as the number of underage drivers on city roads increases day by day. “I see a lot of school students dangerously zooming around in the city on their two-wheelers. The traffic police overlook them, not imposing any fine or even giving them a warning,” said homemaker Pallavi Joshi.

However, Jalap Shah, a 16 year-old who has his own car and drives his mother around the city, believes the law is unreasonable. “A driving licence should be issued at the age of 16 years, as many children are responsible at this age and can drive well,” he said.
Psychologist Kalpesh Shah, meanwhile, says that there is a reason for a minimum age limit being set for driving. “Children under the age of 18 years cannot handle situations such as driving very responsibly,” he said.

“My son is 17 years old and I have never allowed him to drive a motorcycle. I bought an electric bike for him two months ago, and he uses this to travel around the city,” said Unmish Shah, a businessman.

The issue of underage driving has arisen many times, but is yet to be strongly dealt with, meanwhile worsened by the growing number of vehicles on the roads. In a recent incident wherein an underage driver killed a cyclist on the spot, he not only took a life but also ruined a household, rendering a young wife a widow and a two-year-old son an orphan.
There are several spots in Ahmedabad that are popular hangouts for students looking to flaunt their bikes. Many youngsters cruise around on their two- and four-wheelers on city roads, placing theirs and the lives of pedestrians in danger.

“We fine underage drivers and have even launched several initiatives to curb the incidence of underage driving,” said Yadav, police sub-inspector (traffic). Parents, a source in the police said, should take responsibility for their children’s behaviour and discourage them from driving till they reach the appropriate age.