

There has been a steady rise in parliamentary questions on road accidents in recent sessions. One common thread running through them is about numbers. Now, anecdotal evidence suggests there has also been a remarkable rise in the number of car accidents involving underage drivers. Lives have been lost and properties damaged in recent months by minors at the wheels in Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Kanpur and Delhi. To solve a problem, we need to get a grip on it first. Reporting for the recently launched RAHAT (Road Accident Victim Hospitalisation and Assured Treatment) scheme for cashless treatment for road accident victims can be geared to get age-wise data of concerned drivers. At the same time, there should be academic studies on effective ways to curb risky behaviour among adolescents. This is not a malaise that can be addressed merely by stricter road rules.