India records approximately 1.7 lakh road fatalities every year, says government data. But within those numbers is a subset that rarely receives attention: deaths caused by underage drivers driving vehicles without valid licences.
Data submitted in Rajya Sabha in March 2025 shows that minors were involved in 11,890 road accidents between 2023 and 2024.
In the past few years, deaths caused by minors illegally driving high-end vehicles have sparked outrage and demands for justice.
For instance, a 17-year-old driving a Porsche allegedly knocked down a man and a woman in Pune in May 2024. In February, an SUV driven by a minor allegedly crashed into a 23-year-old two-wheeler rider in Delhi’s Dwarka.
In both instances, the underage drivers were granted bail after they were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. In July 2025, the Juvenile Justice Board said the underage driver in the Pune Porsche case will be tried as a juvenile.
Cases of underage drivers involved in fatal road crashes point to the need for reform that holds the adult or vehicle owner strictly responsible for the actions of the underage driver, and a compensation policy that can quickly address the loss of the victim’s family.
Familiar pattern
Road safety discourse in India focuses on infrastructure and vehicle standards, instead of the human choices that precede a crash.
Minors driving without valid licences falls squarely...
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