Hyderabad police seek negative marks for students caught driving underage

With 2,539 underage driving cases recorded between January and May, Hyderabad police have proposed that schools award negative marks to students caught driving. Officials warned of strict penalties for minors and parents while stressing the need for stronger road safety measures.

Hyderabad: Underage driving continues to be a cause for concern on the city roads, with Hyderabad police registering 2,539 cases involving minors driving vehicles in just five months between January and May.

The issue has now prompted the city police to suggest that schools award negative marks to such errant students. The punishment is in addition to existing measures, including cancellation of registration certificates and hefty penalties.

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At a meeting with various stakeholders on ‘School Student Road Safety’ on Friday, Hyderabad Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Joel Davis said as many as 719 registration certificates had already been suspended for a period of 12 months after juveniles were caught driving this year. Furthermore, violating minors will be legally barred from obtaining a driving licence until they reach 25 years of age.

Parents or guardians who hand over vehicles to minors will face stringent legal prosecution, including a jail term of up to three years and a penalty of up to Rs 25,000, he warned.

In a major shift towards enforcing a ‘zero tolerance’ policy, Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar said the police would directly report minor driving violations to the respective schools, urging the managements to award “negative marks” to such errant students to instil regulatory discipline.

The Hyderabad Traffic Police study found that 141 fatal accidents, 86 accidents causing grievous injuries and 1,377 accidents resulting in minor injuries were recorded from January 1 to May 31, 2026.

An analysis of victims under the age of 18 years revealed that 128 children were casualties of road accidents. Among these young victims, seven children lost their lives in fatal accidents, four suffered grievous injuries and 117 sustained minor injuries. The police noted that road traffic injuries had emerged as the leading cause of death among children and young adults aged between 5 and 19 years.

Given the number of accidents and fatalities, the Hyderabad police asked two-wheeler riders to strictly ensure that only two persons travel on a vehicle and that both wear helmets, as statistics show that 94 per cent of children who died in two-wheeler accidents were not wearing helmets.

In four-wheelers, all occupants have been advised to wear seat belts, and children under 12 years must never be seated in the front passenger seat.