Menacing underage drivers claim innocent lives

Among the many ways through which doting parents can possibly spoil their children, conceding to their every foolish desire and demand has to be the worst especially when it involves socially irresponsible acts like handing over the car keys to their reckless teenager, whose momentary elation at plunging the accelerator could cost a lifetime of grief for some unfortunate family.

One such family was that of Muhammad Zahid Zahoor, who tragically lost his child during a hit and run incident involving an underage driver. Zahoor believed that the child behind the wheel could not be held entirely responsible for his actions since the parents allowed the child to drive in the first place. “Hence, the government should not only levy charges against the underage drivers but should also hold their parents accountable. This would help prevent such incidents in the future and ensure that no other family has to suffer the same loss which we had to go through,” bemoaned Zahoor.

While Zahoor lost his son, a similar traffic accident involving a child driver led to the devastating loss of six members from the same family last year. In fact, data obtained by the Express Tribune revealed a disturbing trend across five major cities in Punjab, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sargodha, and Muzaffargarh, where last year alone 59 accidents involving underage drivers were reported during which 43 people lost their lives, 11 were seriously injured, while 70 others sustained minor wounds. Lahore alone reported 13 such cases during the past one year. Other major cities in Punjab, including Gujranwala, Multan, DG Khan, and Sahiwal, have also observed a similar trend in underage driving accidents.

“Underage driving has emerged as a primary cause of fatal accidents. Young drivers often take to the roads without a license, lacking the necessary understanding and skills, which contributes to the high accident rate,” said former Additional IG Traffic Punjab, Muhammad Altaf Qamar.

Hussain Shahid, a teenager who confessed to taking out the car occasionally, shared his perspective on the increasing trend of underage driving among children. “When young boys see their peers driving to school on their motorbikes and cars, they feel pressurized to do the same. Eventually, they start driving at a high speed and in no time get caught in an accident. Hussain further felt that if the government could build a racing park in the city, it would provide a safe space for children to channelize their energies and would hopefully prevent them from rash driving on the roads.

On the other hand, Muhammad Shehzad Tahir, a professor of psychology, highlighted the importance of parental control during a child's formative years. “As children grow, they undergo significant changes and often look up to their fathers as role models. Hence parents must be mindful of their actions and convey the right values to their children so that they think twice before breaking the law,” suggested Dr Tahir.

In this regard, Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Lahore, Amara Athar, acknowledged that the number of accidents had steadily increased over the past few years, primarily due to underage driving. “The Traffic Police's special squad is focusing on two key areas: driving under the age of 18 and driving without a license. The squad provides daily reports to the government on their efforts. Cases are being filed against the parents of underage drivers in Lahore. Our efforts have significantly reduced the incidence of one-wheeling and underage driving.”