Hyderabad traffic officials hope new motor Vehicles Act will help curb the menace of road accidents

HYDERABAD:  Are parents the real culprits behind underage driving? Officials seem to believe so. They claim that in a majority of underage driving cases, the parents are well aware of their child’s wrongdoing. Only in a few cases, they say, do the parents not know the children are taking to the streets in their vehicles. 

An official from Hyderabad Traffic police told Express that children are often found on the roads in the mornings and late evenings i.e., when school/college opens and closes. “Many a time, it is the parents who encourage the child to take the vehicle out in bylanes to buy groceries or perform small-time chores. It is clearly their fault in such cases,” said a senior official.

The new amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act may just be the game-changer. Anil Kumar, Additional CP Traffic, Hyderabad Police said the amendments are quite stringent and would burn a hole in the pockets of offenders. Currently, what an erring minor is charged is based on what the court orders.

“Now, for underage driving, a fine of `25,000 can be levied on the owner of the vehicle, parent of guardian of the offending minor. We hope this will be the deterrent we have been hoping for,” he said.  Also, the new MV Act allows for minors to be tried as per JJ Act provisions. The amendment further provides for three-year imprisonment to the parent or the owner of the vehicle. Interestingly, some sections also list punishments such as cancellation of registration and putting curbs on the minor’s license until the age of 25. 

In first, Criminal cases registered against  minor, father for killing two
Criminal cases of culpable homicide were registered on Tuesday in the underage driving case, which has resulted in the death of 14-month-old Madhav and his grandmother Nagamani. Police said this is unprecedented as only cases of negligent driving are filed in cases related to road deaths. the previous day, Sandhya Kiran, his twins Madhav and Mahdev and their grandmother were travelling in an auto to Yapral when a speeding car rammed into them in the opposite direction. Bowenpally Inspector P Chandrasekhar said the minor who was driving the car and his father Nooruddin have been arrested