Underage driving 151; a growing menace egged on by doting parents

Fifteen-year-old Rajat was riding pillion with his friend on a scooter recently when a private bus hit the scooter and dragged it few metres, killing Rajat on spot and seriously injuring his friend.

Fifteen-year-old Rajat was riding pillion with his friend on a scooter recently when a private bus hit the scooter and dragged it few metres, killing Rajat on spot and seriously injuring his friend.

Last year, a senior student of Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, died after he met with an accident while driving.

Despite incidents like above rising, no alarm bells have been heard yet. Underage driving, a common sight on city roads these days, leads to fatal accidents, but nobody seems to notice.

In fact, parents seem to encourage it. 8220;My son has to go school and tuition centres. I am a businessman and cannot afford to drop him. So I purchased a vehicle for him,8221; says Raman Kumar, father of a class IXth student.

The Sarbha Nagar market is a popular hangout for students on their bikes, who 8220;drive for fun8221;.

Some underage drivers also get a pat on back from affectionate parents. 8220;Whenever I have to go for a kitty party, my daughter drops me there,8221; appreciates Rita Mangla, mother of a class Xth student. 8220;Instead of hiring a rickshaw, I prefer that Reedhima drops me.8221;

Throwing the traffic rules to the wind, these youth cruise their bikes and cars on city roads, imperiling their and the pedestrians lives.

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Gurdeep Singh, DSP Traffic Ludhiana, said, 8220;We challan underage drivers, but find that instead of discouraging their wards to drive, parents visit courts to pay their challans. We will hold a meeting with higher officers and will be strict in dealing with the menace.8221;

In 2006, traffic police issued 1,106 challan for underage driving; in 2007 the number was 586, while in 2008 till May it was 289.

Commenting on underage driving recently, Renuka Chaudhary, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, had said parents need to be held accountable for underage driving and should be punished. Has the time come to hold them responsible?