The workshop conducted by the Taffic Department in Doha recently.
DOHA: As part of its efforts to crackdown on the violators of traffic rules particularly those who drive without licences, the Traffic Department’s awareness campaign is going on trying to reach the target group of underage.
Among the reasons that making children to drive cars without licence is careless of parents or their encouragement to the child’s initiative, said the Ministry of Interior.
The winter camping season creates conducive environment for underage to drive without having licence because the camping areas are away from the traffic police eyes, said a police officer.
“Children’s driving without licence mostly prevails in places near schools, particularly junior and secondary schools as well in areas of winter camps, said First Lieutenant Fahd Sherida, Traffic Awareness official.
The first punishment if underage children found driving without licence is the seizure of the vehicle for three months even after the settlement of the case. The driver then transferred through the Juvenile Police to the juveniles’ prosecution (if the child is less than 16 years) Captain Ali Hamad Al Aswad, Head of Traffic Investigation section in Madinat Khalifa, told The Peninsula.
Regarding reasons that make motorist commit accidents and runaway without reporting to traffic police, he said most of such accidents are committed by unlicenced children and they think they will stay away from the police, and they do not know that escaping itself is another crime.
“Anyone who commits a traffic accident is advised not to flee. No one can stay away from legal action. Police will catch the person using latest technologies”, Al Aswad pointed out.
Fahd Sherida said that recently, the Juvenile Police Department in collaboration with Media and Traffic Awareness section at the General Directorate of Traffic, organised a discussion on ‘driving without licence, risks and solutions’ and advised parents not to give their cars to children because many students in Junior and secondary schools bring cars to schools and the only explanation is that they are getting approval from them, otherwise they have to report about that.
He also added that the legal age for getting driving licence is 18, but 17 years can apply in conditions that a licence holder with at least three years of experience should be with him.
The speakers in the session urged parents to guide their children and educate them on respect for the law.
