Chennai police to meet with school headmasters to curb underage driving

Police Commissioner launches awareness drive, ‘Safer Roads for Students’

Chennai City Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal on Monday said a meeting would be conducted with headmasters of schools to advise them to stop underage driving.

“To curb underage driving, we have conducted a special drive and booked over 300 cases. Next, we are going to have a meeting with the school headmasters and their deputies, and tell them to stop schoolchildren who drive themselves to school. They should be discouraged from anywhere on two-wheelers. If they continue to do so, we will deal with them legally,” Mr. Jiwal said.

He inaugurated an awareness programme, ‘Safer Roads for Students’, at MCC School in Chetpet on Monday.

The city traffic police, in association with Thozhan organization, will be conducting the campaign this week, covering 100 schools and colleges in the city and reaching out to more than 25,000 students and their families.

The objective of the campaign is to reduce traffic accidents, make school and college zones safer, make students and parents aware of traffic rules and encourage people to help accident victims without hesitation.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Jiwal said, “We are conducting a special drive for five days a week to prevent footboard travel by school and college students on buses and trains and to curb underage driving. Apart from that, we are summoning the parents of college students indulging in unruly behaviour on public buses and warning them.  We also tell them that if a criminal case is booked, their future will be spoiled.”

Answering a question on the restriction at beaches, he said the restriction was during the lockdown. “Normally, we begin night patrolling by 10 p.m. However in some places, such as crime-prone or isolated areas, there are instances of criminals misbehaving. There, our men would warn and mostly ask people to disperse after 10 p.m. There is no restriction as such. Public safety is very important. Taking that into account, necessary action will be taken.”