Curbing Underage Driving Essential And Must Start With Parents

September 17, 2019

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Witnessing a school going teen zipping around on their bike is no longer a strange sight in the city.

There is an increasing number of vehicles being driven by underage riders and drivers, most of whom are not in possession of an appropriate driving license either.

Evidently the thrill for speed and more power has kept these youngsters from applying for a license for the smaller 50cc bikes that they are eligible to ride. A report quoted, the Pune Regional Transport indicating a significant drop in the number of applications from teenagers applying for a learners license.

Pune365 spoke to a cross-section of Puneites to study the reasons for the spurt in underage riders on our city roads, leading to higher number of accidents and innocent lives being lost.

Snehal K, Traffic Constable, “License for without gear is issued at the age of 16 and no license is issued for motorbike with gears. And a permanent a license is issued only after eighteen.

Nowadays, it is very common to see young children riding geared bikes. The non-geared bikes are seen with school going kids also. By allowing the children ride, I think the parents have become irresponsible and they should be really penalised with severe punishment in such cases.”

“Most of the time, they’re at a high speed and it becomes difficult to stop them.Riding like this, they’re not only risking their lives but other too” Such kids don’t have the judgement and experience to ride on roads,” Kolhe adds.

“Parents should not give into their children’s demands and get them bikes if they are underage, and do not possess a driving license,” says Radhika Tiwari, Housewife.

My son goes to college and students see their friends using motorbikes and start demanding their own. And to add to that, everyone knows our city’s public transport and they say they cant manage college using public transport.

I have brought him a good bicycle as it is a healthier and easier mode of transport, Radhika, adds.

Arnav Sharma, a student says,” Auto Rickshaws and PMPML are very undependable and often get stuck in traffic, so the only option we have to be able to reach on time, is our own bike.

I still don’t have a license and it is not easy to get one easily. You need to wait for long hours in the queue to get one, Am a student of standard 12^th and I don’t want to waste my time on it. Though I make sure I wear the helmet every time I ride.

“The city traffic is unbearable! It is ok if they use the bike for shorter distances and I see no harm in it.

It also helps them to get the road experience and driving judgement better, says Rohini Desai, a Housewife.

I allow my son to ride on his way to classes, college and shops. Everything is near to our house and you barely get auto rickshaws and buses for such short distances. It is all about the way you ride and the judgement of the road.

When asked if her son has a license, all Desai had to say was, “We’re sure that he rides safely.”

#Curated and produced by Ankita Malekar for Pune365 and first published in 2018. Reproduced in reader interest.

#All views expressed in this article are those of the individual respondents (some names changed on request) and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.