Question

According to Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 no person under the age of -------years shall drive a motor vehicle in any public place

• A. 20
• B. 16
• C. 18
• D. 21

Hint:

For the Motor Vehicles Act, remember the key age limits from Section 4: 16 for gearless scooters (historical), 18 for general motor vehicles (cars, motorcycles), and 20 for transport vehicles (buses, trucks).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks for the general minimum age for driving a motor vehicle in a public place as prescribed by the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
The relevant statutory provision is Section 4 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Section 4. Age limit in connection with driving of motor vehicles.—
(1) No person under the age of eighteen years shall drive a motor vehicle in any public place:
Provided that a motor cycle with engine capacity not exceeding 50cc may be driven in a public place by a person after attaining the age of sixteen years.
(2) No person under the age of twenty years shall drive a transport vehicle in any public place.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The general rule, as stated in sub-section (1), is that the minimum age for driving any motor vehicle is 18 years. There are exceptions for very light motorcycles (16 years, an exception that is now largely historical) and a higher age limit for transport vehicles (20 years). Since the question asks for the general rule without specifying the type of vehicle, the correct answer is 18 years.
Step 4: Final Answer:
No person under the age of 18 years shall drive a motor vehicle in any public place.

Answer 2

The question asks for the general minimum driving age under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, so each figure should be tested against what Section 4 of that Act actually prescribes for different categories of vehicles.

1. 20: Twenty years is the age fixed under Section 4(2) specifically for driving a transport vehicle in a public place, not the general age for an ordinary motor vehicle, so this does not answer the general question being asked.
2. 16: Sixteen years appears only in the proviso to Section 4(1), and only for a very limited class of vehicle, a motor cycle without gear and with engine capacity not exceeding 50cc. It is an exception carved out of the general rule, not the general rule itself.
3. 18: Section 4(1) lays down the default rule: no person under the age of eighteen years shall drive a motor vehicle in any public place. This is the general threshold that applies unless one of the narrow exceptions or the higher transport-vehicle age applies.
4. 21: No provision of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 fixes twenty-one as a minimum driving age for any category of vehicle; this figure does not correspond to anything in Section 4.

Since the question asks for the general rule rather than an exception or a transport-vehicle-specific figure, eighteen is the only correct match.

Therefore, the correct answer is 18.