Hyderabad: The spotlight is back on underage driving in Hyderabad after a 17-year-old lost control of a car he was driving in Yousufguda on Sunday, August 2, ramming into seven parked motorcycles, killing a 60-year-old man and critically injuring another. Data shows that the problem appears to be getting worse despite tougher laws and sustained enforcement drives.
The Hyderabad Commissionerate registered 3,283 underage driving cases in 2024. In 2025, that figure more than doubled to 7,808. In the first five months of this year alone, 2,539 such cases were booked, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Joel Davis at a recent road safety meeting.
Police have moved beyond issuing traffic challans to registering criminal cases under Section 199A of the Motor Vehicles Act, under which both the minor and the parent or vehicle owner face prosecution. Under Section 199A, parents or vehicle owners who permit a minor to drive face a fine of Rs 25,000 and imprisonment of up to three years. The vehicle’s registration certificate (RC) is suspended for 12 months, and the minor is barred from obtaining a driving licence until the age of 25.
The law permits only those aged between 16 and 18 to ride gearless two-wheelers with an engine capacity not exceeding 50cc, under prescribed conditions. Hyderabad traffic and transport authorities have this year seized and suspended the RCs of 719 vehicles found to have been driven by minors.
A three-fold problem
Dr Siddharth, a road safety specialist at Sarvejana Foundation, an NGO working in this space in Hyderabad, said underage driving is a three-fold problem. “Parents don’t follow rules and so, naturally, the children don’t either. In the road safety awareness programmes we conduct at schools, we see that 90 per cent of parents don’t wear helmets when they come to drop or pick up their child,” he told Siasat.com.
The second problem, he said, lies in the school curriculum. In several countries, children are educated on road safety from an early age, with it embedded within the system. “In India, children only learn about it when they are adults. This makes a drastic difference,” he said.
“Coming to the ground, our population is very high and enforcement has its limitations,” Dr Siddharth added. This is compounded, he said, by a near-total absence of basic road safety infrastructure on the streets – no road markings, no signs, no sustained public messaging on the issue.
“To give an example, the Wipro circle in Gachibowli, until recently, had no road signs or markings, with as many as 12 accidents taking place in a short period. If this is the case in one of the busiest circles in Hyderabad, imagine what the situation is in other areas.”
Research, he said, adds further weight to the concern. Underage drivers face a significantly higher risk of road crashes than adult drivers, attributed to ongoing brain development, limited driving experience, poor risk perception and a reduced ability to assess consequences. “While teenagers may drink and drive less frequently than adults, they are more likely to be involved in a crash when they do,” said Dr Siddharth, who holds a PhD in road safety from BITS Pilani.
Studies also show that crashes involving underage drivers are more common during nights, weekends and when young passengers are present, he added. “Research indicates that strict enforcement of minimum age laws – from 18 to 21 – for driving and alcohol access is among the most effective measures to reduce such incidents.”
Enforcement alone is not the answer
Neha Khullar, Director of Projects at Muskaan Foundation for Road Safety, said India already has a stringent legal provision under Section 199A to curb underage driving. “The real challenge, however, lies in consistent enforcement and the creation of meaningful deterrence. When influential or privileged offenders escape exemplary consequences, society fails to learn that an underage driver behind the wheel can turn a vehicle into a killing machine,” she told Siasat.com.
At the same time, she said, underage driving cannot be addressed through punishment alone. A large section of the population, particularly students, struggles with daily commuting because of inadequate, inaccessible and unreliable public transport. “Many young people consequently begin driving before they are legally or emotionally prepared and learn crucial road safety lessons only after a crash or tragedy. We need strict and impartial enforcement, parental accountability, responsible judicial outcomes and safe, affordable public transport for students,” Khullar said.
Dr Siddharth echoed the point. Stronger enforcement against underage driving, coupled with active involvement of parents and schools in road safety education, is essential. “Providing safe and reliable public transport alternatives can further discourage underage driving and help make our roads safer,” he said.
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