BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to stop minors from getting behind the wheel, the Commerce and Transport department has decided to take written undertakings from educational institutions, including schools and coaching centres, to strictly forbid underage students from driving to their campuses.
Officials said minors often lack impulse control and are unable to handle complex tasks such as emergency braking or spotting hazards on the road. Teen drivers are more likely to meet with accidents than older drivers, as they are more prone to speeding, jumping red lights, using mobile phones while driving and not wearing seat belts, they said.
As part of Transport department’s month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan from September 17 to October 17, the RTOs/additional RTOs of seven cities have been asked to identify schools and coaching centres in their respective jurisdictions where cases of underage driving are highly prevalent.
Cuttack, Bhubaneswar I and II, Balasore, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Berhampur RTOs as well as Khurda ARTO will identify such schools and coaching centres, and obtain undertakings from them to strictly refrain underage students from driving to the campuses, said a Transport official.
“The schools and coaching centres will be asked to immediately inform us if any parent is handing over a vehicle to his underage son/daughter. The offence will lead to heavy fines, vehicle impoundment, cancellation of the vehicle’s registration and potential legal action against the parents concerned,” he warned.
To sensitise minors against driving, the department has even planned to create awareness in schools and coaching centres across the state by organising events comprising road safety slogans and painting competitions for students of Class VIII to X.
Awareness on measures to prevent accidents near the educational institutes located close to highways in the state will also created. The RTOs/ARTOs have been directed to coordinate with the educational institutes to sensitise students and parents on how to safely reach schools close to the highways, return home safely and remain alert while crossing the road, said an official.
In another development, the Transport department has taken a serious note of nine passengers who lost their lives when an AC sleeper tour bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida on September 23.
It has directed the RTOs/ARTOs to train drivers and conductors in all major bus stands across the state on the steps that need to be taken to safely evacuate passengers if a bus catches fire. The bus owners are also being sensitised to install necessary equipment to handle any fire accident, said a Transport department official.