Lahore Traffic Police Launches Crackdown on Underage and Unlicensed Drivers

Lahore’s traffic police has launched a citywide enforcement campaign targeting underage drivers and unlicensed motorists, one of the strictest drives the city has seen this year. Anyone under 18 found driving a car or motorcycle faces a challan, and their vehicle can be impounded and shifted to a police station on the spot.

The campaign is being led by Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Lahore Syed Abdul Rahim Shirazi, who has ordered a zero-tolerance policy — particularly on holidays, when violations usually surge. Circle officers across the city have been directed to personally supervise enforcement, a sign that the drive is meant to go beyond routine challaning at a few intersections.

What Happens to Underage Drivers

Under the campaign, drivers under the age of 18 caught operating cars or motorcycles will not simply be fined and let go. The enforcement plan has several layers:

• Challans will be issued to underage drivers on the spot.
• Vehicles will be impounded and shifted to the nearest police station.
• Motorcycles can only be released after the rider produces a valid juvenile driving permit.
• Parents will be required to submit a written undertaking promising to prevent repeat violations.

That last measure is aimed at a familiar reality in Lahore: teenagers frequently take family vehicles with their parents’ full knowledge. By making parents formally responsible, the police are putting pressure on households, not just the young drivers.

Fine Structure: Rs5,000 for Cars, Rs2,000 for Bikes

The drive puts an equally sharp focus on adults driving without valid licences. The penalty structure announced by the CTO is:

One point the traffic police has clarified repeatedly: a learner’s permit does not entitle you to drive independently. Learner permit holders must drive under proper supervision, and using a learner permit as a substitute for a full licence is treated as unlicensed driving.

For unlicensed motorcycle riders, the consequences go beyond the fine — their motorcycles can also be impounded.

Triple Riding, One-Way Violations and Helmets Also in the Net

The crackdown is not limited to licensing. Several other common violations are being targeted simultaneously:

• Triple riding on motorcycles, which officials describe as a major safety hazard for passengers and other road users.
• One-way violations, where first-time offenders get challans but repeat violations can lead to formal criminal cases being registered.
• Helmet violations, which remain one of the most common offences on Lahore’s roads.

Officials have said that enforcement will be tighter on weekends and holidays, when children are most often seen using motorcycles, cars and rickshaws around the city.

How to Get a Licence While the Drive Is On

Rather than making licensing harder, the traffic police is using the crackdown as a push to get people licensed. Several steps have been taken to make compliance easier:

• All driving licence offices in Lahore remain open even on holidays, despite the enforcement drive.
• Special checkpoints are being set up outside licensing offices to identify motorists without valid licences and guide them toward getting one.
• Online services are available for learner permits, duplicate licences and renewals.
• Lahore currently has 11 driving testing centres, two mobile licensing vans and 20 facilitation centres operating across the city, according to the CTO.

The message is deliberate: there is no excuse of inconvenience left. If you are stopped without a licence, the nearest licensing office is open and reachable.

Commercial Vehicles Face Tighter Rules Too

The campaign also draws a clear line for commercial transport. According to the CTO:

• Commercial vehicles cannot be driven on car or motorcycle licences.
• Drivers of buses, wagons and other public transport vehicles must hold a valid Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence.
• Drivers of trucks, trailers and other heavy vehicles must hold a Heavy Transport Vehicle (HTV) licence.
• Commercial vehicles without valid documents, fitness certificates, faulty or missing rear lights, or excessive high-beam use are being stopped from entering the city.

During a visit to the city’s entry and exit points, including the Gajjumata checkpoint, the CTO reviewed ongoing enforcement operations and checked compliance on heavy traffic rules.

Part of a Wider Enforcement Push

The underage-driving drive is one piece of a broader enforcement wave in Lahore. In recent weeks, traffic police suspended the driving licences of 170 drivers involved in road accidents, with licences suspended following every fatal or serious non-fatal crash. Separately, a motorcycle was impounded on Walton Road after checks showed it had accumulated 113 e-challans — 89 for riding without a helmet and 24 for signal violations — attracting a fine of Rs190,000.

E-challans are now issued through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras covering more than 20 types of violations, and action against tampered number plates is continuing without discrimination.