Just three days ago, two Class XII students on a high-end bike were caught under the wheels of a container lorry and crushed to death instantaneously on the Ennore Express Highway.
M. Abhishek of Vysarpadi was riding the bike back home, after finishing the board exams at his school in north Chennai. P. Raj was riding pillion.
Crashing into the lorry, the duo was thrown off and came under the wheels of the vehicle, and died on the spot.
Traffic Investigation Officer Chitra said, “The parents told us that the boys did not pay heed to their words. At least the school could have prevented them from driving the vehicle to the school premises. The accident could have been prevented.”
On March 4, a 17-year-old boy, who was riding a high-end bike, knocked down senior citizen who was walking in Tiruninravur, resulting in his death.
On January 12, a 16-year-old boy who took his father’s bike hit a 61-year-old woman in Tirumangalam. She was badly injured.
Cause of snarls
Underage driving is a major cause of traffic snarls in the city and causes danger to other motorists and pedestrians on the roads. The menace continues unabated, despite efforts by police to spread awareness among students, schools and parents.
Young boys in school uniforms are often found driving high-end bikes in a reckless manner, criss-crossing arterial roads and exhibiting their daredevilry, say police.
They hide behind big cars or heavy vehicles to escape the attention of the police at signals.
School girls ride bikes too, but they do not race and are not reckless, police officers said.
M. Radhakrishnan, co-ordinator of Thozhan Foundation, an non-governmental organisation that works for traffic awareness, said, “Many parents feel proud of their children driving motor vehicles on public roads. They think that if their wards learn to drive a vehicle, they can help in doing household chores by running errands and also drive family members to where they want to go. There are many who buy two-wheelers for their children after they pass Class X and four-wheelers after Class XII. Many parents are not aware of the traffic rule that their wards who are under 18 should not drive any motor vehicle above 50 cc.”
Not an easy task
Road users and activists blame police personnel for their inaction in nabbing errant underage drivers but police personnel have different accounts.
A traffic police inspector said: “Nabbing the minor riding a bike is not an easy task. If we chase them, they may fall or skid. That can result in injuries, even death. Also, juveniles cannot be prosecuted like adults. So most youngsters do not understand the seriousness of the issue at all.”
Giving various suggestions, Vijay Mehta, secretary of Citizens for Safe Roads, a voluntary organisation, said, “Parents are providing vehicles to their school-going children and encouraging them to ride. This is very dangerous behaviour. The heads of schools or educational institutions do not bother about law or safety. Police ask the school authorities to prevent the menace. Schools are a better place to check this practice, not the roads. Their parents can be summoned and prosecuted for the offence.”
Accident compensation
V.S. Suresh, an advocate, pointed out that it is usually a Herculean task to get compensation for road accident victims in cases of accidents involving vehicles driven by underage persons.
On their part, teachers say parents should also be held responsible.
Ajeeth Prasad Jain, adviser, Chennai Sahodaya Schools, said: “Many students park their vehicles at least half a kilometre away from the school and walk. If they bring the vehicles to school, we certainly will take action against them. Parents must be educated first on this and police should initiate action against the owners of the vehicles.”
