Two Class XI girls of Kerala Samajam Model School, riding a scooter without helmets on Wednesday afternoon, sustained injuries when their two-wheeler was hit by an auto-rickshaw that was allegedly speeding near Garamnallah on Sakchi-Bistupur Road in Jamshedpur.

While 16-year-old Priyanka Rawat, a resident of Tinplate, is "serious" with internal head injuries at Tata Main Hospital, her classmate and Bistupur resident Priyanka Kumari, also 16, escaped with mostly face and limb injuries, and minor head wounds.

Police said the two friends, who appeared for their first term examination at their Sakchi cradle in the morning, left campus for Bistupur around 11.30am. They met with the accident 45 minutes later.

The girls were rushed to hospital by passers-by in another auto-rickshaw. It is not immediately clear who among the two was riding the scooter and who was on the pillion.

"We were going to Bistupur. While we were crossing the Garamnallah stretch, an auto hit us from behind and we fell down," said Priyanka Kumari. But, she evaded questions on where they were going and who was riding in front.

Sakchi thana OC Anjani Kumar Tiwary said while the accident took place because the auto-rickshaw was reportedly in top gear, the two victims could have avoided injuries if they had abided by road safety rule. "We are looking for the rogue auto driver," he added.

Parents of both the girls, who were present in hospital, refused to comment.

School principal Nandini Shukla said the girls might have wanted to go to Bistupur market since it was the last day of their first term exams. "But yes, they should have been more careful while riding a two-wheeler," Shukla said.

The principal added that she had recently asked parents to ensure that students of the school riding bikes and scooters wore helmets.

It is, however, odd that schools in the city and parents allow underage children to ride two-wheelers in the first place. Some even drive cars without licence.

On July 7, St Mary's English School student and city resident Hardev Singh (18) was killed in a car crash on NH-33 near Ranchi during a joyride to Rock Garden with two friends, one of them a minor. Hardev probably wasn't wearing a seat belt when he was flung out of the car.

On January 22, Class XI boy of St Mary's Dhiraj Mukhi was fatally injured when his bike collided with a car on Hata-Tata Road in Potka. He died in hospital that evening.

Class X student Jwala Prasad Singh was killed in a bike accident near JRD Tata Sports Complex in Bistupur on January 8. He was only 16.

What can schools do to stem the trend of underage biking? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com