The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has said it does not issue licenses to underage drivers below 18-years-old.
FRSC Sector Commander in Ondo State, Samuel Ibitoye, made this known on Monday in Akure, describing underage drivers as impostors driving without permit.
Ibitoye said that underage drivers were not psychologically and emotionally stable to be behind the wheel, stressing that vehicles driven by anyone below 18 years old would be impounded.
According to the sector commander, driving by anyone who is underage could result in autocrash leading to death or serious injuries to other road users.
He said that the command had carried out a lot of advocacy to educate and sensitised parents and vehicles owners, especially articulated vehicle owners, of the risk of having underage persons behind the wheels.
9News Nigeria reports that some of his words were“Before you can drive, you are supposed to be above 18 years old and to get a driver’s license, you must be sound medically and have knowledge of highway traffic signs.
“There is no where you can get such a thing (driver’s license) from underage persons.
“So, if you see an underage person behind the wheel, you will know that such is not licensed to drive,” Ibitoye said.
He, therefore, called on truck owners to put the interest of road users first by engaging matured and licensed drivers and shun cheap labour, which could cause havoc on Nigerian roads.
“My advice to vehicle owners is that they should not engage in illegality and shun child labour by going for matured persons who have acquire presiqusite training and are licensed to drive,” the sector commander said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in Ondo State, Comrade Ademola Odudu, said that none of his member in the state was under 18 years.
Odudu said that though that might be the case in some states, but the reverse was in Ondo state, stressing “underage drivers are rarely seen in the state.
“So, it is only the concerned authorities that can actually know if one is under aged or not and they should take appropriate actions according to the laws by dealing with under-aged driving so that road users can be safe,” he said.
Also, a resident, Seun Oribamise, told NAN that it was highly irresponsible to put an under-aged driver behind the wheel.
He said that such action would be putting the lives of everyone on the road at risk.
