Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill made effective from September 1

The hike in penalties for violation of traffic rules under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill has been made effective from September 1, 2019.

The massive hike in penalties for violation of traffic rules that was proposed under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill that was passed in the Parliament last month, became effective from September 1, 2019. As per the new amendment, the penalties on several offenses have increased ten fold.

Offenses like breaking a traffic signal or talking over the phone while driving/riding can call for a fine of up to Rs. 5000. Not wearing a seatbelt/helmet was only penalized by a mere fine of Rs. 100 but now it will cost you Rs. 1,000. Some offenses can also land you up in jail apart from paying a hefty amount of fine.

Almost all penal provisions that were proposed under the amendment bill will be applicable from September 1. The government says that larger penalties have been imposed on those offences which could pose a larger risk to road users in general and also cause accidents. These measures were long coming in order to reduce road fatalities in the country and improve road safety. India remains one of the countries with the highest number of road fatalities and stricter fines might just improve road discipline.

The hike in penalties are not only applicable to general road users but also on the traffic police and the transport department, who, if found guilty of violating any traffic rules will be imposed a 200 percent fine. The amendment is not all with regard to hike in penalties.

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There are some user-friendly amendments as well, which include – renewal of driving licences a year before the expiry date; extending the validity of a commercial driving licence for five years instead of the current three-year term; and driving licence and vehicle registration can now be applied at any regional transport office in the state of residence.

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Also, here’s a closer look at the increased rate of penalties for some of the common traffic rules violation under the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill :