The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has cautioned parents against allowing their children to drive family cars, warning that they could face legal action if they let minors get behind the wheel.
In a statement issued on Monday, November 2, the authority asked parents to keep vehicle keys out of reach of children below 18, even if they have learnt how to drive.
NTSA said anyone who allows a child or an unlicensed person to drive commits an offence. It reminded parents that being able to operate a car does not give a minor the legal right to drive it.
“Don’t let your child become the next statistic. The minimum driving age in Kenya is 18 years. Allowing, or failing to prevent, an underage or unlicensed person from driving is an offence,” the authority said.
The warning comes in light of the school holiday period, when the children are at home, and they have access to the parents’ vehicles.
NTSA urged the parents to openly discuss issues of road safety with their children, including the danger of operating a car without a licence and enough experience.
The authority also reminded the owners of the vehicles to ensure that they are aware of where their vehicles are and by whom.
As per the Traffic Act, the minimum age to obtain a driving licence or provisional licence is 16 years. But a person should be at least 18 years old to operate a motor vehicle. Persons at 16 can operate motorcycles.
This warning from NTSA follows previous cases of children driving vehicles. In one case, the parent was arrested because his seven-year-old son was found driving a vehicle. The parent was either fined KSh20,000 or served a jail term of three months.
