The union ministry of transport’s circular, bringing an age-old law back to the fore, is not a step in the right direction, however good the intentions behind this move may be. In fact, what this rule will do is leave a section of the youth populace stranded, if they’re
looking to use private transport. The rule is simple. According to Section 4 of the Motor Vehicles Act, ‘individuals between the ages of 16 and 18 can ride a motorcycle with engine capacity not exceeding 50 cc.’ This was a rule that was in effect before but started to get relaxed by respective police departments. In the past, up to the late 90s,
there were sub-50 cc mopeds available which did not exceed speeds of 50-60 kilometres per hour. But things have changed
since then.
The scooters and mopeds that were available then, with a sub-
50 cc engine capacity, are not available now. So why implement
this rule in the first place? This will only create a genre
of bikes in the country that will be
discarded after two years, as the 18
year olds look to upgrade to better
bikes.
The need to enforce this stems
from the increasing number of accidents
involving youth in Goa and
in India. There is no disputing that
two-wheelers are responsible for
a large number of accidents, simply
because of the safety issues
that stem from a two-wheeler; by
comparison the four-wheelers are much safer by virtue of not
having passengers exposed to the elements. But will curbing
the use of two-wheelers by those between the ages of 16 to 18
change this? Those 16 year olds can still get a licence and ride
a two-wheeler with a larger engine capacity.
The simple fact is that the abundance of accidents and the
number of deaths reflects on our own self-regulating standards
as a society. There is no proper enforcement by the police,
which leads to more and more people crossing the line
when it comes to road ethics. As a society, we are failing these
children. We need to instill a sense of responsibility into our
children so they become better commuters. Yes, there will be
a reduction in deaths to some extent, but those who want to
ride will find ways to do so. The lack of checks and balances
when giving out licences and then monitoring traffic on the
roads will only breed more rash riders and drivers, irrespective
of age.
Should 16 year olds be riding their own bikes? Perhaps not. If
we had a proper mass transport system, this question wouldn’t
even have to be posed.
