Under age driving is becoming a national epidemic in our society today as a lot of teenagers are going for a joyride in the vehicles of their parents and relatives overlooking the risk and consequences of such acts. These teenagers are ages of 15-17. It is worrisome why teens are engaging in such attitude under the watchful eyes of their parents and guardians.
Most of them ply the road without knowledge of the rules or driving permit and in violation the law against underage driving, which is not less than 18. At this age, it is expected that they are developed both physically and mentally to make the right decision. Peer pressure and a feeling of youthful invincibility are major factors responsible for the high rate of teenage driving.
Inexperience and maturity are the primary causes of increased risk of teenage driving and parents feel reluctant about it, for whatever teenagers do, it will bounce at the parents at the end because they are aware that underage driving is a crime in the country. To some extent we can say that parents are compromising in disciplining their children according to African culture. Parents in this case are to be blamed because they think they have accumulated all the wealth for their children and why not allow them to have a taste of it. It is not bad for parents to provide all the basic necessities of life for their children but caution needs to be taken in giving them what is right and at the right time.
Parents, why put the life of your children and that of the public at stake after knowing the repercussions of a minor given an opportunity to do what he/she pleases. This is common among government official’s children who are believed to be born with silver spoon in their mouth residing in Government Reserved Area (GRA). Kids brought up in those areas whose parents are well to do, are pampered and showered with whatever they need. Untrained eyes are more likely to underestimate hazardous situations on the road due to heightened distractions, especially with the mobile phone and the social media at their fingertips thereby causing a lot of accidents on the road.
The authorities concerned should stand still and deal with the situation right away because underage driving is at its peak in the country which needs immediate attention to save lives. Government and education systems are not the only parties responsible for safe teen driving- parents must set safe standards. Parents must lead by example and adhere to the rules of the road, especially when their teenagers are in the vehicle with them. Beyond state laws, parents must set their own rules and consequences so as to have safe teenagers and other road users within our environment.
Ndaglaya Stephanie Luka,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri, Borno state.
