16-year-olds can now secure motorcycle licences in Punjab

• Underage arrests stopped after court intervention.
• First helmet violation gets warning only.
• Drone, body-cam monitoring begins provincewide.

LAHORE: Punjab has decided to lower the minimum age for motorcycle riding to 16, allowing teenagers to obtain licences using smart identity cards after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz barred police from arresting underage students for traffic violations.

“We do not want to detain young children, but adherence to the law is essential,” the chief minister said in a statement, expressing strong displeasure over reports of minors being handcuffed following the Lahore High Court’s notice on the matter.

She stressed that traffic laws exist for public safety, urging parents to teach children the importance of wearing helmets and directing traffic police to ensure dignity and restraint while dealing with the public.

Officials briefed the chief minister that 2,445 vehicles had been penalised for traffic violations and that a provincewide awareness week would be launched for students and the general public. They added that the first helmet offence would now result only in a warning.

The meeting was also informed that, for the first time, drones and body cameras were being introduced across Punjab to monitor violations and improve enforcement transparency.

A day earlier, it was reported that Punjab Police issued at least 63,970 challans worth over Rs80 million in the past 24 hours as part of an ongoing crackdown on traffic violators. The Punjab Police spokesperson said that the tickers were issued to vehicles and motorcycles across the province.

At least 28,000 challans were issued in a day for helmet violations, and 4,312 were booked for violating other traffic rules, the spokesperson added. Furthermore, the police confiscated 23,904 vehicles, said the official.