Underage driving on rise in Vizianagaram, 1,300 minors booked in a year

Visakhapatnam: Police and several motorists expressed concern over rising instances of underage driving in parts of Vizianagaram, and motorists demanded strict action against violators to make roads safer. Despite repeated public awareness campaigns and crackdowns, underage driving has grown into a menace. Though underage driving is banned, one can see teenagers riding bikes and scooters at various locations. The analysis of traffic records in the past year shows that more than 1,300 minors were caught driving two-wheelers without a license in the Vizianagaram district.Road safety is a collective responsibility. We have been appealing to the public to cooperate and parents to ensure their children do not touch a vehicle (bike or four-wheeler) until they are legally licensed, said Vizianagaram district police chief AR Damodhar.Children should be guided by their parents and family members that underage driving is not only going to endanger them but also the lives of other commuters, police said. Police said the parents of a single child below 18 years were purchasing bikes, citing that they had no other option to meet their demands. But they must understand the danger of underage driving, the police added. On average, at least 150 to 200 minors were caught driving vehicles in Vizianagaram.The police need to install CCTV cameras at all strategic locations to prevent underage driving for safer roads, said Ravi, a native of Vizianagaram. He also suggested that school and college administrations step up efforts in educating students about road safety, as most of the traffic violators are youngsters.The police said they will invoke the relevant Act in future to ensure stricter legal consequences for parents and guardians who encourage or ignore their children taking the wheel before the legal age to prevent the underage driving menace.