Underage driving: Parents had no suspicion of sons’ joyride plan

Parents of the two teenagers who went on a joyride on a friend’s bike on Sunday morning, which left one of them dead and the other grievously injured, had no suspicion about their sons’ plans and are in a state of shock. Puja Changoiwala reports.

Parents of the two teenagers who went on a joyride on a friend’s bike on Sunday morning, which left one of them dead and the other grievously injured, had no suspicion about their sons’ plans and are in a state of shock.

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Mohsin Ansari, the 16-year-old pillion rider who is in hospital with multiple fractures, had told his parents that he was going for tuitions.

“Mohsin told his parents that he would return by 11.30 am. Rohit had not said anything at home as when he left, his parents were asleep. Both families are struggling to come to terms with what happened,” a police official said, requesting anonymity.

The police said the Class 11 student is in a state of shock. “We have not been able to record his statement as he is not speaking to anyone. He keeps breaking into tears. He is too young to deal with such a trauma,” the official said.

While the police are not certain about the sequence of events, they have ascertained that no other vehicle was involved.

Neither teen was wearing a helmet, and Gupta sustained serious head injuries. The duo had borrowed the motorbike, a Bajaj Pulsar, from a friend called Kamal.

As reported last week in HT, in its ‘Unsafe Roads’ series, 31% of victims of fatal accidents on city roads last year were motorcyclists as per a recent traffic police survey. Traffic violations, such as riding without helmets and underage driving, make these drivers more vulnerable.

“Though the traffic and local police conduct drives in areas such as Kherwadi, Charkop, Marine Drive and Eastern Express Highway to check on racing bikers, it has not helped much. Apart from stricter laws, parents of youngsters have to be more responsible,” said Allka Shah, member of Road Safety Advisory Board to Mumbai police.