Young and Reckless

Call it a mindless show of power, or an attempt to impress friends or the result of improper parenting, underage driving has become a menace. Children as young as 13-16 are increasingly being caught behind the wheel.

There are several steps to check students from driving four-wheelers but kids always find loopholes. They bribe drivers and take the car, often parents are not aware.

Last month, a Class X student who was driving an SUV with five other students in the car, met with an accident wherein a scooter-borne couple was grievously injured. Last week, an intermediate student of Sri Chaitanya Junior College, a minor who was driving his friend’s father’s car, crashed into three vehicles in SR Nagar, leaving four persons injured.

Parents of other children complain that they have seen underage drivers zooming to schools but they do not know how to stop them. Worse still, other children are enamoured and often enjoy rides in these cars.

Shahbaz Husain, businessman and father of Shahzeb, who studies in Oakridge International School, says, “It is difficult for schools to monitor. The owners of the cars should not allow their kids to drive. But kids manage to overpower the drivers by paying tips and driving anyway. I tell my son not to touch the car and also tell his friends that they should not drive as the parents would be jailed for their mistake, ” he says and adds, “These days, children want everything much before the right age — be it pubbing, driving, sex and more. That’s why juvenile crimes are increasing. I keep one day in a week where I take my kids out to talk to them and listen to their issues. The best interaction between parents and kids is on a daily basis. Also, counselling is very important though it may seem like a lecture for them.”

The Hyderabad and Cyberabad police have caught as many as 267 minors during the special drives against violators of the MVA. “It’s very common that underage drivers are being caught,” says A.R. Srinivas, DCP Traffic, Cyberabad.

What’s the solution?
“Parents must set rules. Even if they have a licence, children must not be allowed to drive at night or  drive with teen passengers. We need hard hitting educational campaigns, highlighting the risks and dangers of underage driving,” says Mayura Kapoor, former IT consultant, Sreenidhi International School.
Alekhya Reddy, mother of a 13-year-old, says, “The only solution I can think of is that we should send our children in school transport to avoid them from getting tempted to drive luxury cars.”

Parents are liable
AP High Court lawyer Venkatesh says that if parents are penalised, they would stop their underage children from driving. Parents will become more vigilant if they know they can land in legal trouble if their underage children drive.

“Parents are liable to pay for the damages for the accidents caused by children driving cars without a proper driver’s permit. As per a Supreme Court ruling, it is the parents and not the insurance companies which have to pay the damages for the acts,” he says.

It’s not only the parents responsibility but schools must also educate the children and parents about the dangers of letting children drive on the roads without a license. “At our school, we strictly monitor the students to ensure that they do not drive a two or a four wheeler to school. We then talk to the parents and warn them that we will inform the police if this continues. We encourage students to come on cycles, which will keep them healthy,” says Jivitesh Reddy, principal, Niraj Public School