Hyderabad: Minors who drive into conflict with the law by getting involved in accidents could jail term from now on. Besides, the owner of the vehicle driven by a minor will also be put behind bars.
City Traffic Police has forwarded a proposal to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge (MSJ) at the Nampally Criminal Court Complex, asking for jail terms instead of the existing Rs 1,000 penalty.
As per the proposal the minimum jail term for under-aged drivers (minors) may be one day and maximum jail term will be three months. According to officials, children could face problems in getting a passport in future, as the offence will be shared on the Aadhaar card of violators.
As many as 6,000 cases were booked against minors under the age of 18 last year. The proposal was sent after realising that the penalty of Rs 1,000 for the first offence committed by minors was not acting as a deterrent for them. According to officials, most minors continue to drive vehicles in spite of paying a challan of Rs 1,000 for the first offence.
Meanwhile around 300 underage two-wheeler riders were caught for either not having a beginner’s licence or a number plate on the vehicle. They were counselled at the Traffic Training Institute Begumpet and Goshamahal, on Friday. Addressing on the occasion Traffic DCP L.S. Chowhan, Traffic instructor, Begumpet Traffic Training Institute, Shyamsunder Reddy blamed parents for this, who do not monitor their children and give them vehicles before they turn 18.
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