Teenagers or even younger children driving two-wheelers or cars on the road, often in school uniforms, or younger kids being picked up by their elder siblings in vehicles is nothing new in India. This is despite the law in India clearly stating that the legal driving age for most vehicles is 18 years. It is very unlikely that underage driving is spurred by a lack of knowledge of the law, as sometimes children far below 18 are found using motor vehicles. Even if families are unaware that there are restrictions on the vehicles that a 16 year old can ride, they cannot possibly imagine that their 14 year old is allowed to use a motor vehicle of any sort. Considering how widespread flouting the law has become, there are also doubts about the enforceability of the law.
The law allows for adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 to obtain a learner's permit, which allows them to only drive vehicles with a 50cc engine capacity, and that too, only under adult supervision. They can also get a licence to drive electric scooters of the L1 category after undergoing the requisite test. L1 category of vehicles means a motorcycle with maximum speed not exceeding 45 km/h and engine capacity not exceeding 0.5 kilowatt, if fitted with an electric motor.
According to the NCRB 2022 report, 884 juvenile drivers (under 18 years of age) were apprehended for rash driving on public roads in India. Tamil Nadu reported the highest number, with around 208 juvenile drivers caught for rash driving. In Chennai, the traffic police conducted surprise checks in schools in 2022, filing over 17,000 cases, out of which 553 were underage driving cases.
The new normal?
Underage driving has become a significant issue in Indian cities. The appeal of riding bikes or motorised vehicles for young people often comes down to a mix of social, cultural, and psychological factors. Media and popular culture play a big role here; movies, ads and social media often portray bikes as cool, adventurous, and even a bit rebellious, linking them to ideas of freedom and independence. For teenagers, motorbikes symbolise more than just transport. They represent the freedom to go further and faster. Speed itself can be thrilling and many teens naturally seek out these kinds of exciting experiences as they grow and explore. Riding a bike isn’t just about reaching a destination. It can also be about the adrenaline rush of moving fast. Peer pressure is also a huge factor during these adolescent years. In certain circles, having a bike can elevate social status, making it almost a badge of belonging or a way to fit in. When friends start riding, others often feel compelled to join in. In some cases, riding a bike also allows teens to push back against parental or societal expectations, adding to its appeal as a form of subtle rebellion.
This new normal is no doubt being driven, partly by parents and guardians also who might actively encourage their children to drive, believing that because their children are tall or mature-looking, they have the maturity to handle a vehicle. Parents feel that it reduces their burden of dropping off or picking up their children and many see it as a mark of self-sufficiency, enabling their children to be less dependent on them for their travel needs. Additionally, parents justify this practice by claiming that their teenagers are “ready,” have enough practice and have mastered driving skills. However, many parents wrongly assume that practice equates to safety, despite their children being below the legal driving age.
Understanding the Teen Brain
Contrary to what many parents believe, studies suggest that emotional immaturity, rather than inexperience, is the primary reason why it is dangerous for children under the legal age to drive. Driving involves multiple skills such as multitasking, decision-making and spatial awareness. It requires integrating information from visual, motor and cognitive systems. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for these skills, including impulse control and judgement, is not fully developed during adolescence. Although the brain is 80% developed at this stage, the circuits responsible for motor skills and emotional maturity are still developing. As a result, teenagers lack fully matured decision-making abilities and motor skills, which can lead to impulsive actions such as speeding or distracted driving.
Cognitive development is not complete until the early 20s. This means teens do not have full capacity for planning, logical reasoning and understanding the consequences of their actions.
Research indicates that teen driver crashes are often linked to a higher number of decision errors, risky driving behaviours, inadequate hazard perception, distractions, and the influence of peers. Although inexperience plays a role, these contributing factors suggest limitations in executive functioning. All this science supports current legislation that deems children below a certain age as unfit drivers of motor vehicles.
Risk Perception and Situation Awareness
Teenagers often struggle to accurately perceive and assess risks. They might underestimate the dangers of behaviours like texting while driving, speeding or driving under the influence. Even if a teenager is attentive when driving, they may still fail to recognize and respond to potential hazards, especially since novice drivers often lack the skills to effectively scan their environment.
Situation awareness, which involves the perception, comprehension and prediction of driving cues, grows with experience. Adolescents can have deficits in all three of these functions. Safe driving requires adequate scanning far ahead and to the sides, which depends on the ability to maintain attention on the driving task. This relies on working memory and other cognitive abilities, which are not fully developed in adolescents, to recognize key safety cues, understand potential hazards and respond swiftly to avoid or reduce crash risks.
Optimistic Bias
Teens often exhibit an optimistic bias, overestimating their control over risks. While they might correctly assess the low risk of any single trip, repeated uneventful drives can lead them to perceive driving as less risky overall, making them overconfident and less vigilant about safety, with the overconfidence being particularly dangerous.
Peer Influence and Distracted Driving
Adolescents are more influenced by their peers during this stage of life than at any other time. This need for social acceptance can lead to risky behaviours such as racing, not wearing seatbelts, or driving under the influence to fit in. Peer presence can lead to distracted driving, as teens often focus on social interactions while driving. The adolescent brain’s increased sensitivity to rewards, driven by higher dopamine levels, also plays a role, leading to behaviours like speeding or using phones while driving, prioritising immediate thrills over safety.
Steps that cities have taken to curb underage driving
Mumbai, India: Enforcement and Awareness Campaigns
Mumbai is working on curbing underage driving through a combination of strict enforcement and community collaboration. Guardians face penalties of up to ₹25,000 and three years in prison if minors are caught driving, with the minor’s license eligibility delayed until age 25 under the amended Motor Vehicles Act. Partnering with local leaders, influencers, and NGOs, the city police conducts awareness campaigns in schools and communities to highlight the risks and consequences of untrained minors driving. These steps reflect a combination of legal deterrence and community education aimed at promoting responsible behavior on roads.
Singapore: Strict Penalties and Technological Interventions -
Singapore enforces one of the strictest traffic systems in Asia. To prevent underage driving, Singapore has imposed heavy fines, vehicle impoundment, and even potential legal consequences for parents if minors are caught driving. In addition to strict penalties, Singapore has incorporated technological measures. Vehicle registration and insurance processes are tied to a centralised database that alerts authorities if a vehicle is being driven by an unlicensed driver. Together, these measures have created a highly regulated system that has effectively deterred underage driving.
Hanoi, Vietnam: School-Based Education and Community Involvement -
Vietnam has long dealt with mixed traffic and underage motorbike riders. In Hanoi, a collaborative program between schools and the local government focused on road safety education specifically for younger children. Through the program, students learned about safe road behaviours, the legal driving age, and the importance of helmet use. Parents were also encouraged to participate in workshops to understand the impact of their decisions on their children’s safety. Community policing, where local police engaged directly with students and parents, helped reinforce these lessons, leading to a notable decline in underage driving.
Conclusion
Indian roads pose significant challenges even for experienced adult drivers, due to infrastructural issues and unsafe driving practices. When underage adolescents attempt driving, these risks are exacerbated, as younger drivers typically lack the visual, motor, and cognitive skills necessary for safe driving. Additionally, they lack the requisite knowledge of traffic rules and driving techniques, increasing the chances of crashes or errors.
Preventing underage driving requires a multifaceted approach involving education, awareness, and strict enforcement.
1.Education and Awareness:
Parents play a crucial role in preventing underage driving. The legal age limit marks when a person is considered an adult, capable of making independent decisions. Until then, a child or teenager’s safety is the responsibility of parents or guardians, who must actively protect them from potential harm. This includes strictly prohibiting underage driving and setting a positive example by consistently following traffic laws and ensuring their children receive proper driving training before being allowed to drive independently. Building awareness among parents about the risks involved is essential, as it not only protects their child but also ensures the safety of other road users. Similarly, raising awareness among children themselves is crucial to help them understand the dangers of underage driving and the long-term consequences of reckless behavior. Empowering children with knowledge and fostering a sense of responsibility ensures they value their safety and that of others, creating safer roads for everyone.
2. Enforcement:
Effective enforcement is key to curbing underage driving. The Motor Vehicles Amendment Act of 2019 (Section 199A) holds guardians or vehicle owners responsible for offences committed by juveniles, with penalties that include three years of imprisonment and a ₹25,000 fine.
Additionally, adopting a Graduated Driver’s Licensing (GDL) system, as seen in other countries, could improve road safety. GDL introduces a phased approach to licensing, involving a learner’s permit (supervised driving), an intermediate licence (unsupervised driving with restrictions), and finally a full licence. This phased system helps novice drivers gain experience gradually, reducing the risk of crashes for young drivers and protecting all road users.
By combining awareness, responsibility, and robust enforcement, India can reduce underage driving incidents and create safer roads for everyone.
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