Riding ahead of time

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If it’s not legal, it has to be done. That’s the mantra many teens follow, especially when it comes to driving. Why should we wait till 18 to drive, ask some, who believe that it’s too long a wait. Adrenaline rush makes many take to driving before they touch 16. When laws abroad permit you to drive before 18, many feel it’s time India changed its laws too.
It’s easy to spot a youngster zipping around, and you can spot many practicing their moves in colony bylanes, unperturbed by questioning glares.
Reasons Sanya Batra, a Class 12 student, “Today, no one likes to wait for anything. It’s a world of go-getters. Most of my friends started driving much earlier, and still drive without a license. I don’t think they are scared of being caught. A friend of mine belongs to a super rich family. He started driving when he was 13 years old, today at 17, he is not scared of being caught, mainly because he knows his parents are behind him. He loves cars and his parents have never stopped him from driving.”
Avika Mathur, 18, (name changed) lost her father when she was only 15. Having nobody else at home to run errands, she took it upon herself to do the needful. “I didn’t have a choice, and my mother didn’t object either. I am the only child. We could not afford to depend on relatives to help us do everyday things. I took driving classes and later applied for a learner’s license when I turned 17,” she adds.
For parents, it’s a dicey situation, how to convince their growing and eager children to wait until they reach the legal age. Not for Ramona Sahu, whose two sons Akshay now 20 and Ayush, 15, did not pester her to hand over the keys. She says, “In my elder son’s case, it was me who kept asking him to drive. And surprisingly, he told me that he wants to wait till he’s 18. Similarly, Ayush isn’t keen to start driving, he’s just 15. I see some parents encouraging their 13-14 year olds to drive and it’s upsetting. They don’t bother to abide by the law. I saw one of my neighbours sitting with his 13-year-old son in a Scorpio and I was taken aback. Parents need to be careful, they must know where to draw the line with their children.”
For someone like Sumit Roy, 18, who loves taking the Metro to commute, license can wait for a little more time. “I know how to drive, I learnt with my driver when my dad was away. But having banged my car in his absence, I vowed to wait till I turn 18. I am not in any hurry to get a license, unlike my friends who drive unabashedly and proclaim if the situation arises, they will know how to handle it,” he says.