Police warn underage drivers

MAKKAH —  Police say incidents of children driving vehicles after being left in the car with the engine running are on the increase and parents need to beware, the Makkah daily reported. According to police, sometimes children even steal their parents' cars without the family knowing. Makkah has recorded a number of incidents with a video going viral on social media of a teenager crashing into a barbershop driving his father's car at high speed. Two people were killed in the incident and six others were critically injured. Media spokesman for Makkah Police Col. Fawzi Al-Ansari said people who are 17 years or older can get driving permits for a year, during which they are subject to the standards and tests of an adult driver's license. He stressed that in the event that someone does not have a permit, or is under 17 years old and is involved in an accident, the owner of the vehicle will be liable for paying up to half of the compensation and blood money. The owner will be issued a ticket for negligence, while the young driver will be arrested and dealt with through the judicial system. Legal adviser Sultan Al-Harthy said harsher punishments are needed in the event of a child driving a vehicle with the knowledge of his guardian and without the permission of official authorities. "The law has fixed an age for adulthood,” he said. “It's the thing that makes individuals responsible for their actions criminally and from a human rights perspective.” Al-Harthy said if a vehicle's owner reached the age of adulthood he is responsible for his actions criminally and financially. "If not, then his legal guardian is the person to bear the consequences and this is recognized by the system and the law." Statistics released by the Traffic Department shows that tespite the launch of awareness campaigns, doubling of traffic fines and installation of surveillance cameras, the Kingdom’s streets are still suffering from increasing traffic chaos. The number of traffic accidents has soared to dangerous levels. Many innocent people have lost their lives in these accidents, demonstrating that neither awareness campaigns nor the increased fines have been effective or contributed to putting an end to the traffic chaos.