Cops to crack down on underage drivers

The next time you give your son or daughter the keys to the family car, keep some extra cash handy to bail him/her out. Also, try and be prepared for a prolonged counselling session on the virtues of being more responsible parents.

The next time you give your son or daughter the keys to the family car, keep some extra cash handy to bail him/her out. Also, try and be prepared for a prolonged counselling session on the virtues of being more responsible parents.

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Come Monday, the Delhi traffic police are going to intercept minors driving motorised vehicles near city schools, impound their vehicle, collect a challan of Rs 1,000 for abetting an unauthorised person to drive and impart some friendly advice against putting the life of their child in jeopardy.

"If children can't understand the dangers of driving without a proper driving licence, we will ensure that at least their parents are sensitised enough not to allow them to do so," Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic), told Hindustan Times.

The decision was taken hours after traffic police personnel, deployed near schools located in separate traffic circles, caught 24 minor schoolchildren zooming away on their two-wheelers in just about a little less than an hour on Thursday afternoon.

"We have decided on the given procedure now instead of merely noting down the minor's registration number and allowing him or her to drive-off - only to issue a challan to the person under whose name the vehicle is registered later," Garg said.

The new plan follows the traffic police's initiative of educating parents and schools about the menace of minor driving prevailing not only in the city but the entire national capital region (NCR).

A confederation of at least 26 prominent city schools, apart from the 45 which have already signed up for its road safety initiative, is also in the pipeline.