Srinagar: Parents who allow their minor children to drive cars and motorbikes in Kashmir Valley will now face a penalty of Rs 25000 and 3 year imprisonment under the new Motor Vehicles Act, a senior officer said Saturday.
“Till now, we were counseling minors and their parents. However, now we take strict action against the parents in accordance with the law,” Dy Sp, Traffic, Mehboob-ul-Haq told Kashmir Observer Saturday.
He said if a minor is found driving a car or bike, his or her parents will have to shell out Rs 25000 fine, and 3 year imprisonment under the amended MV Act.
He argued that the underage drivers not only put their lives at risk but also threaten the precious lives of others as well. He said that the crackdown against underage drivers was already in progress and in the coming days, it will be further intensified.
“The quick reaction teams (QRTs) of traffic police will step up crackdown against underage drivers. At the same time, regulation of traffic on roads is equally important. We will deal with both these issues simultaneously,” Mehboob said.
“This move will definitely serve as a deterrent. We expect unending support of parents in our endeavor to make roads and streets safe for people,” he added.
The senior traffic police officer further said that QRTs will also focus on areas which have a number of educational institutes and coaching centres.
Pertinently, this latest move by traffic police comes in wake of viral videos showing underage boys and girls performing dangerous stunts along the roads and streets in the Valley. In the past, such audacious acts have also evoked strong criticism from netizens on various social media platforms.
Last year, a local Court here directed the Inspector General of Police (Traffic) to hold a special drive to curb the menace of driving by minors.
The Special Mobile Magistrate (Traffic) passed these directions while awarding three years sentence of imprisonment to a man for allowing his minor son to drive his vehicle.
