Why do adolescents drive dangerously? What are they trying to prove and why? What can we do to reduce these instances?
Obviously, the first point is that the large numbers of school children indulging in showing off by using their vehicles are boys. One of the main causes is the rise in testosterone that urges the young to indulge in ways of attracting the attention of the opposite sex. This is much akin to the peacock that spreads its feathers or other animals that try different antics to attract. This is of course a kind of old primal instinct. Boys full of testosterone will try to demonstrate their virility and their behaviour is driven by the urges that are quite out of their control. The driving impulse (no pun intended) is the instinct to procreate but ironically, when the instinct is misunderstood or ignored, it leads to its opposite.
Obviously, both the society and educational institutions as well as the family as a unit all have to manage this. The reason for some of the boys playing dangerous games is that the interactions between boys and girls are being reduced. What do you expect when boys and girls sit in different blocks in class with a thick invisible line that divides them? They will go out and try and impress one another using means that are not always appropriate.
They need to have structured interactions in order to be able to show off their prowess in diverse ways: sports, musical or cultural evenings, debates, theatre and even a good deal of classroom discussions. The schools must put these interactions in place so that the adolescents will get a chance through diverse legitimate means to “show off” to the opposite sex or even to their friends. When the space for social interaction gets narrower, the spill over is on the roads with serious consequences. The adolescents nearing adulthood have a surge of physical energy that needs to be channelised. For example, all societies have always encouraged different forms of sports or dance. Our own garba in Gujarat is an occasion for boys and girls to impress each other with their grace and ability. The adolescents are driven by an instinct to choose a mate much like other animals. But at this stage they do not all end up mating! Civilization teaches them to learn to control that instinct and wait for maturity.
As for the parents, they really must not give in to the demand of a child wanting a vehicle and driving it without a license. In that sense, it is entirely the parent’s fault. If a teenager has a vehicle, will he stop using it because the school prohibits it? I think it is now common sense that if you put in place a taboo, the child or the teenager will want to break it. It will become the new reason to show off. I know from experience that teenagers would come to school on a two-wheeler and park it away from the school gate. They may even borrow and drive someone else’s vehicle. I fail to understand how parents do not even think of their own child’s safety, driving around (without a helmet) a vehicle that is powerful. So a gearless vehicle is a good option till the teenager has proved that he or she is capable of moving on to a larger one. Responsibility is something that can be both taught and learnt in doses. The police must of course take strict action against under-age drivers. But in reality, tell me, how does the ordinary traffic cop do his duty? After all, won’t ‘baba’ call up hotshot daddy who will call up another influential person and get ‘baba’ out of the soup?
My intention in writing all this is that rather than blaming, we need to understand the reasons and find the solutions.
The above article was published in the Ahmedabad Mirror on 22/9/2009