To Curb Accidents, Hyderabad Police Jailed 26 Parents In Two Months For Allowing Their Minor Children To Drive.

To curb increasing number of major accidents involving minor drivers, Hyderabad traffic police have implemented new rules which makes parents of minor drivers liable to imprisonment. According to Deccan Chronicle, the Hyderabad traffic police have sent 26 parents to jail for allowing their minor children to drive. 273 cases of minor driving in the city have been filed, and an amount of Rs 1,80,600 ha been collected as penalty as of April 23. The traffic police are also sending minors to juvenile homes if they are caught driving more than once.

“We jailed 20 parents in March and six in April. Of the 273 minors booked this year for driving in the city, all were produced in court, which sentenced the 26 parents to imprisonment. We are conducting regular enforcement campaigns against minor driving. It is a severe issue, because not only does it endanger the life of a minor, but the lives of others. Parents should be made liable for all such violations” says Hyderabad traffic police additional commissioner Anil Kumar to NDTV. “A minor was sent to jail for one month, and we are continuing this drive to send a message to society that minor should not be allowed to drive because driving not only endanger their life but others too,” Kumar further said

Road Safety In Hyderabad

According to Times of India statistics provided by the traffic police shows that the number of minor driving offences grew by more than 30 percent in Hyderabad in 2017 when compared to the previous year. In 2017 alone cops booked a total of 14,608 cases, indicating a 32 percent hike in the number of offences as compared to 2016.

In light of these developments, traffic police in Hyderabad have evolved a full-fledged program to enlighten and counsel both the children and parents which includes mandatory counselling sessions to registering of First Information Reports or FIRs.

According to experts in road safety, one of the most effective methods of controlling minor driving is by making parents liable for their actions. Indian Federation of Road Safety founder K. Vinod Kanumala told the Deccan Chronicle, “Imprisonment of parents for minor driving is a good sign. Parents should be more cautious about their children and see that they are kept away from vehicles, no matter how severely their children pressurise them.”

Also published on Medium.