Cabinet approves heavy fines in new Motor Vehicle Bill

As an effort to enhance road safety in India, the Union Cabinet has approved the new Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016. The new bill warrants hefty penalties on traffic rule violators and thus aims to reduce accidents and fatalities on Indian roads.

Some of the vital changes in the Motor Vehicle Bill include a higher fine of Rs. 10,000, as compared to the current one of Rs. 2,000, in case of driving under the influence of alcohol. Driving without a license will attract a penalty of Rs. 5,000 as compared to the current fine of Rs. 500. Similarly, the Rs. 400 fine currently applicable on over speeding has been increased to Rs. 1,000 for an LMV and Rs. 2,000 for a passenger vehicle. For seat belt violation, the new proposed penalty is Rs. 1,000, up from Rs. 100.

The bill amendment has also increased fine on hit and run cases from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 2 lakh. The compensation in case of a road accident fatality now stands at Rs. 10 lakh.

Riding without a helmet will attract a fine of Rs. 1,000, in addition to suspension of the driving license for three months. The current fine for this offense is Rs. 100. Several new fines have also been added, including a Rs. 10,000 penalty for not providing way for emergency vehicles. Similarly, overloading of passengers will now attract a fine of Rs. 1,000 for every extra passenger.

The Cabinet has also stressed on juvenile driving being a major issue, and has thus proposed that in case of under-age driving, the parent/guardian will be held guilty. A fine of Rs. 25,000 and 3 years imprisonment has been added as the penalty. Registration of the Motor Vehicle in question will be deemed cancelled, while the Juvenile too will be tried under the JJ Act.

The bill also proposes an improvement in the delivery of services using e-governance. As a result, a provision for enabling online learning licenses, increasing validity period for driving licenses, and scrapping the requirements of educational qualification for transport licenses has also been initiated.

Source: NDTV