The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Gombe State Command, has vowed to tackle the increasing cases of underage driving in the state by prosecuting offenders.
Mr Samson Kaura, the FRSC Sector Commander in the state, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Friday.
NAN reports that there has been an increase in the number of children below the age of 18 driving cars in the Gombe metropolis and environs.
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The case of teenagers whose ages probably fall between 14 and 17 driving is common between 1:30 pm and 4 pm, which is the period when schools close for the day, and these teenagers are expected to pick up their younger ones from school.
Kaura, however, said the concern had been noted, and measures had been put in place to check the menace in the interest of the safety of road users.
He said that the command had embarked on “aggressive” sensitisation of parents and other critical stakeholders towards enlightening them on the dangers of underage driving.
According to him, after the sensitisation, the command will begin its enforcement in that regard to ensure that only licensed persons drive on roads. He stated;
The legal age for driving in Nigeria is 18. No one is expected to drive on the road without proper knowledge of the rules for using the road, such as road signs or driving permits.
Underage driving is not allowed. It is wrong for anyone below 18 to drive on the road because there is an age limit.
It is an offence for somebody to drive a vehicle without being in possession of a driving license or attaining the age of 18.
We have started sensitising parents since 2024, and we will sustain that for a while before we begin enforcement and prosecuting offenders in that regard.
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The sector commander warned parents against allowing teenage children to drive their cars, noting that such action only puts the children and other road users at risk.
Kaura said that the command had started deploying personnel to schools within the metropolis and suburbs to monitor activities about complaints on increasing cases of underage driving in the state.
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