Seize licences of parents: Renuka

Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury wants driving licenses of parents to be cancelled if their children are involved in accidents.

The logic behind the view is that children don’t understand the risk of committing a small mistake while driving and if parental guidance is not provided, the fault should be of the parents. Chowdhury speaking to reporters after inaugurating a facilitation centre of the ministry said she would write to the road transport ministry to amend the law to have a provision for taking action against parents, whose children are found to be at fault while driving.

Her off-the-cuff suggestion came when her reaction was sought about a fatal accident on Gurgaon expressway involving three teenagers. The boy at the wheels was not eligible to drive the vehicle.

Chowdhury also said if the parents are at the risk of losing their driving licenses they would be much more careful while handing over their vehicles to young kids. Moreover, giving a vehicle to a person, not authorised to drive it, is against the law and action should be initiated against the owner, she said. She also expressed anguish at a spurt in accidents involving young boys with no measures initiated to check the trend. “I will write to the road transport ministry in this regard and seek appropriate changes in the Motor Vehicles Act,” she said.

She said children have no idea of the risks involved if they drive rashly. “They are not at fault. Parents should be responsible enough not to allow an under-aged child to drive. This is the reason they are not allowed to vote, drink. Father’s license should be taken back and then only there will be a check (on such incidents),” she said.

The minister also sought a ban on the use of mobile phones in schools. This comes a day after the Telecommunication ministry issued guidelines stating electromagnetic waves emitted from mobile phones can seriously damage the issue of user’s brain.