Getting younger: Delhi registered 589% jump in underage driving in 5 years

Underage driving is not a new phenomenon but Delhi Traffic Police data shows that with every passing year, the offenders are getting younger. There has been a 589% jump between 2013 and 2018 in the number of cases of underage driving.

Sometimes it is a desperate attempt to impress friends. At other times, it is a mindless show of power by their parents. Children, some as young as 11 years and barely tall enough to reach the car pedals, are being caught behind the wheel.

Cases of underage driving in Delhi have only been growing in the last few years. In the first 15 days of 2019, 61 children were issued challans for underage driving. (Abhinav Saha / HT Photo)

Underage driving is not a new phenomenon but Delhi Traffic Police data shows that with every passing year, the offenders are getting younger. There has been a 589% jump between 2013 and 2018 in the number of cases of underage driving. And the numbers have only been growing. In the first 15 days of 2019, 61 children were issued challans for underage driving.

In 2018, Delhi traffic police issued challans in 1,228 cases of underage driving, while in 2017 the figure stood at 1,067. The figures in 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013 were 746, 225, 186 and 178, respectively.

Traffic police records show that in 2013, the average age of underage drivers was between 15 and 16 years. In the last five years, however, the average age of all the violators have been between 13 and 14 years.

Traffic officials said that in some cases, children as young as 11 years are also caught behind the wheel .

“In many cases, parents know that their kids drive. Driving is not only about being able to operate a machine, it is also about maturity and judgment. There is a reason why the minimum age for holding a drivers’ licence is kept as 18 years,” said Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Kumar’s claim is confirmed by a report released by Nissan India and road safety NGO SaveLIFE Foundation that showed that 96.4% underage drivers who were caught admitted to their parents knowing of them driving the vehicles.

The police said the figure was only the tip of the iceberg. Outside several schools and coaching centres in the city, children are seen racing through on their two-wheelers. Over the years, growing awareness and the incidents of accidents caused by minors in the driver’s seat has made the police more vigilant about such cases. The traffic police has been roping in schools and conducting special drives outside institutions on a regular basis, Kumar said.

According to the Motor Vehicles Act, any driver, below the age of 18, if caught driving can be detained for up to three months along with a fine of ₹500. Owner of the vehicle — parents or guardians — however, are challaned Rs1,000, and face legal action.

Traffic experts say the prescribed punishment is not a deterrent, especially for rich households.

The new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill (2016) seeks to deem guardians guilty in such cases, with a fine of ₹25,000 along with a three year jail term.

“The problem is the rise of the neorich in the city. Low education and lack of awareness of the consequences of letting their children drive is ingrained in many households. Instead of checking the menace, these people take immense pride in letting their children drive young. The younger they drive, the better for them,” said Rohit Baluja from the Institute of Road Traffic Education.

A traffic constable posted at west Delhi’s Patel Nagar circle, who narrated his experience with dealing with underage drivers, said these children or their parents were often quick to pay the fines.

“I have seen parents who keep their young children on their laps and allow them to steer their cars. When they are caught, they make excuses that they were in control. It is these children who take their parents’ cars later and zoom around across the city,” the constable said.