Delhi makes parents pay for kids at wheel

Thursday, Oct 28, 2010



Doting dads, don't let your kids take the wheel. You could end up with a lighter purse.

Parents are being hauled up in the capital for allowing their children to drive cars or motorbikes in a "unique" effort launched by Delhi police's traffic department to crack down on minor drivers.

A senior officer, who is overseeing the drive, said vehicles driven by children are seized under Section 5 of the Motor Vehicles Act for allowing unauthorised persons to drive and the owners are allowed to take them away only after paying a fine of Rs 1,000.

"Parents of offending children are asked to cough up Rs 1,000 and given warnings to stop their children from driving. We thought of this unique drive as many school-going kids from rich families are found driving on roads," he said.

The children, the officer added, are let off with a stern warning that it is illegal to drive before they turn 18.

Ajay Chadha, special commissioner (traffic), said the number of minors driving on the roads was "on the rise". "This is why we have undertaken this special drive. We have found a large number of school-going children driving mostly bikes and even four-wheelers resulting in accidents," Chadha said.

The drive started in September and till now Delhi police have seized over 70 such vehicles, most of them motorbikes.

An officer said students of "several prominent schools" had been caught driving. "We are in touch with school authorities to take necessary measures in this regard to crack down on the menace," he added.

According to figures with the traffic department, the number of cases involving driving by minors had risen to 4,914 in 2009 from 4,236 in 2008. In 2007, the figure was around 3,000.

Chadha said the drive would be intensified near schools across the city as parents often allowed their children to drive to school. "We will also have awareness programmes in association with schools to sensitise them. Parents will also be called to make them aware of the dangers of driving by minors."

Another officer said accidents were "increasing" every year. "We have to take drastic measures to bring discipline on roads."

Driving by minors is not the sole worry of Delhi's cops. An officer said many youngsters had taken to the bottle, and the effects were being seen on the city's streets.

"They are spoilt, rich brats and their parents are too busy with their own lives to care about other things," he said.

Original news source http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101029/jsp/nation/story_13114356.jsp