Hyderabad: With rising number of accident cases in the city, the Hyderabad traffic police has cracked a whip on habitual offenders and minor drivers. The Hyderabad traffic police arrested 26 parents of minors who were caught driving on the roads. The Joint Commissioner of Traffic Police said that earlier they would conduct counselling sessions to the children who were caught driving.

"If police book more such cases on a regular basis, and if the court jails all of them, then we will surely see a change in parents as well as the impact on minors,” an activist said.

The police so far have registered 1,079 cases against minors for flouting norms and nearly 45 parents being imprisoned in February alone.

“We are launching special drives in a number of places in the city to curb minor driving. Nobody is supposed to drive the vehicle without driving license. The cases are not only filed against the minor drivers but also against the owners of the vehicles and also parents. Parents of the minors are also liable, nobody should give the vehicles to persons and minors who are not having licenses,” said the Traffic Joint Commissioner of Police.

The city police also conduct Operation Chabutra on a regular basis to stop the youth from roaming aimlessly on the streets in the late hours.