Some days ago we heard news about a little girl who died in a vehicle accident near the Mall road Lahore; a 15-years old unlicensed boy has taken the life of this school-going girl. Unfortunately this is not a unique occurrence. In recent years, it has been noticed that there have been several media reports of underage unlicensed drivers on the road.
It is ridiculous that parents encourage their children to drive even though the children are neither trained nor authorised to do so. Sometimes it starts with a short run to fetch groceries from nearby markets, and sometimes its just a little ride around the block for fun. But before you know it, kids are given the responsibility of driving family around elders are not available. This short-sightedness is a terrible mistake. The result of this criminal neglect from parents and other elders is an increased danger of fatal traffic accidents that now exists on roads.
Underage kids are not only untrained drivers, but they can also be more prone to road-rage, over-excitement & speeding, and incapable of making split second decisions. There are some facts about under age driving: Teen drivers aged 16-19 years are four times more likely than older drivers to crash. Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed, run red lights, make illegal turns and drive after using drugs. Accidents by underage drivers occur mostly on Friday and Saturday nights between the hours 9pm and 6am.
Not only could these accidents lead to loss of life, but also severe physical and emotional scars on the survivors. Kids of driving age should first attend driving schools to learn all the rules, and then they must obtain the drivers license. Police should play an active role in this situation.
The most important advice would be to teach responsibility by way of example. If parents drive with caution and obey the laws of the road their children will also have more respect for traffic laws and for those who travel our roads.
KIRAN TAHIR
Lahore
