National Police Commission (Kompolnas) member Edi Hasibuan said the commission disagreed with a demand by the Depok Children's Forum that student should be issued with driver's licenses due to the high number of road accidents involving teenagers.
Instead of issuing licenses, he said, the government should impose a strict procedure for issuing of driver’s licenses.
“This is about other people’s lives. It is not necessary for us to force everyone to obtain a driver's license. Rather, the procedure for getting a license should be tightened,” Edi said in Jakarta on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Earlier, the Depok Children's Forum had asked the Depok administration to allow the issuance of driver's licenses to students because public transportation drivers often refused to transport school students due to the lower fares.
National Children Participation facilitator Achmad Rivai said earlier on Saturday that students often faced difficulties in using public transportation, especially when their schools were far from their homes.
“Those students who take their own vehicles to school can easily became the target of spot examinations of licenses by police,” he said.
Therefore, Achmad said, students should be facilitated in obtaining driver's licenses.
Responding to these comments, Edi said that even if a student was permitted to obtain a driver's license, this should be based on certain requirements, such as the legal age limit and passing a driving test.
“There should no driving licenses issued for students under 17,” Edi said. (apt/ebf)
