TURA, Aug 13: In an absolute tragedy, an underage driver lost his life after the scooty that he was riding collided head-on with a school bus.
As per locals, the 13-year-old was not only riding in a rash manner without a helmet, he also had two other pillion riders, both of who suffered multiple injuries.
The 13-year-old, identified as Tengbath Ch Marak, of Dalbing, North Garo Hills, was killed on the spot in the accident.
The two others injured in the incident include Dabo T Sangma of Thapa Darengchi and Artush Sangma of Koksi Rongtang have been referred to Apollo Hospital in Guwahati. They were escorted by school authorities. All three involved were school-goers.
The trio were apparently coming from the district of North Garo Hills when their two-wheeler crashed against the school bus that was on its way to pick up schoolchildren for their Independence Day drills.
According to police sources, the incident took place at about 1:30 pm in Songsak in East Garo Hills district and once again brought into focus the menace of underage drivers as well as those driving without safety measures.
Many parents have been indulging their teenage children by providing them scooters and motorcycles, despite the fact that they cannot legally drive due to their age. Many other parents, when caught and questioned, provide excuses over their unavailability to be able to take their wards to schools.
“This is really unfair and puts children in severe danger. These children don’t have a licence to drive nor are they of driving age. Parents giving them vehicles in this tender age are unforgivable. There is a time and place for everything and parents cannot wash their hands of their responsibility this way,” said a highly placed police official after the incident.
The officer added that with the department being engrossed with many things, it becomes impossible to monitor all these cases, especially in the remote sections of the district.
“It is only after we know post the incident that we feel that the incident could have been avoided. We, however, cannot be there at all times everywhere. Parents and guardians need to look out for their wards as well,” added the police official.
