Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed a closure down to the practice of detaining underage students for traffic violations. She expressed strong anger at the use of handcuffs on children for such minute offences. In a statement, she said that a principled decision has been made to issue ‘smart cards’ and motorcycle driving licenses to 16-year-olds. Across the province, traffic police will conduct weekly awareness campaigns for the public, especially students.
For a first offence of not wearing a helmet, a warning or a challan will be issued – no harsher action. It was also decided to start using drones and body cameras for traffic enforcement for the first time.
The CM also emphasised that rather than penalising underage students, their parents should play a more active role in upholding traffic laws. Traffic regulations are designed to safeguard people’s lives; the public must change habits to protect themselves. She said the parents should educate children about the importance and necessity of helmets for road safety. The chief minister also urged traffic police to treat citizens with dignity and respect – avoiding rudeness or misconduct.
