Oh come on, let your kids grow up.

Are we raising a generation of children who will grow up to be dependent on other people? Don't worry, this isn't an extension of the Nanny column. (But it could be.) It's still very much a driving column.

I wondered because of something I saw on the road recently - parents who drive their children around.

I was headed back to the office when I drove past a school.

It was about noon-ish so I assumed school was about to be dismissed because of the long line of cars parked outside the school gate.

Worse, some cars were double-parked.

Never mind that the road had double yellow lines.

We're talking about a main road here, not some side lorong. This is a main thoroughfare where traffic is moderate at best during non-peak hours.

Yet, these parents line the road, reducing a three-lane road to two or 11/2 at one stretch because they've stopped and formed two waiting lines on the road.

Oh, and get this - it's a secondary school!

The irony of it is, there's an MRT station right at the school's doorstep. Whatever happened to taking public transport?

They're teenagers for crying out loud. Surely they can manage travelling on their own in a bus or MRT?

This traffic situation is not unique to this school. Drive by almost any school in the mornings, or at about 1pm or 6pm, especially primary schools, and you're likely to see similar scenes of parents hogging at least one full lane waiting for their children.

Dunearn Road (at a couple of spots), Anderson Road, Marine Parade Road, just to name a few. Funnily, the proportion of road hoggers increase at more well-heeled areas and at brand-name schools.

For parents who want to give their kids the best education possible, they sure behave in an uneducated manner on the roads.

What's wrong with taking the school bus or public transport?

Even my 3-year-old nephew takes a school bus. He's in pre-nursery and the school isn't exactly a stone's throw away.

Back when I was in school, taking the school bus and later public transport was a social experience in itself.

Let your children try it. They'll make more friends, be more independent and more importantly, you'll reduce carbon footprint and NOT hog the roads.

Perhaps schools and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) should work more closely.

Schools, tell parents they're being inconsiderate.

If they insist on picking their children from school, they should form a carpool system. That should reduce the hoggers by at least half (although it should be more).

And more importantly, there should be no waiting. If you encounter stubborn parents, call the authorities - LTA or traffic police.

Also, LTA, how about drawing double zig-zag lines outside school gates?

And it'll help the rest of us road users if LTA enforcement officers or traffic police make an occasional appearance outside the schools.

No wonder the recently released survey by marketing communications agency, Grey Singapore, found that those aged 18 to 29 were the unhappiest lot.

They must have had a shock when they joined the workforce and realised they had to make do without a chauffeur-parent.

This article was first published in The New Paper.