The roads in India are deemed as some of the most dangerous places in the country. When depressing statistics of road accidents hit the headlines in newspapers, we should ideally stop and think about how the roads can be made safer. Recently, the Lok Sabha has approved an amendment proposed to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Referred to as the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2016, the proposals in this bill will address some of the problems on the road and improve the safety of commuters.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways grouped together 18 Transport Ministers of States to make suggestions to improve the provisions in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The recommendations from the committee will modify 68 of 223 sections present in the Motor Vehicles Act. The amendments include heavier fines for traffic violations, comprehensive rules for overall road safety, automated testing procedures for obtaining driving licenses, National Registry for all vehicles, and guidelines to encourage commuters to assist victims of road accidents. The amendments also simplify the process of raising claims under car insurance policies and the settlement of the same. The proposed changes are expected to reduce the number of deaths and injuries from road accidents by 50% by the year 2020. Other recommendations in the Bill aim to improve public transport facilities and road connectivity. Reduction in corruption and waiting time for registration of vehicles using automated technology is another refreshing change proposed by the Bill.
The key highlights of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2016 are as follows:
The penalties for traffic offences have been revised under the Bill. The updated penalties are as follows:
Section | Description | Old Provision | New Provision |
177 | General | Rs.100 | Rs.500 |
New 177A | Violation of road regulation rules | Rs.100 | Rs.500 |
178 | Travelling without a ticket | Rs.200 | Rs.500 |
179 | Disobeying orders of authorities | Rs.500 | Rs.2,000 |
180 | Using vehicles without license in an unauthorised manner | Rs.1,000 | Rs.5,000 |
181 | Driving a vehicle without valid license | Rs.500 | Rs.5,000 |
182 | Driving in spite of disqualification | Rs.500 | Rs.10,000 |
182 B | Using oversized vehicles | New regulation | Rs.5,000 |
183 | Overspeeding | Rs.400 | Rs.1,000 for Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) Rs.2,000 for medium passenger vehicle |
184 | Dangerous driving | Rs.1,000 | Up to Rs.5,000 |
185 | Driving while intoxicated with alcohol | Rs.2,000 | Rs.10,000 |
189 | Racing or speeding | Rs.500 | Rs.5,000 |
192 A | Driving a vehicle without permit | Up to Rs.5,000 | Up to Rs.10,000 |
193 | Aggregators who violate licensing conditions | New regulation | Rs.25,000 - Rs.1 lakh |
194 | Overloading | Rs.2,000 and Rs.1,000 for each tonne extra | Rs.20,000 and Rs.2,000 for each tonne extra |
194 A | Overloading of passengers |
| Rs.1,000 for each additional passenger |
194 B | Not wearing seat belt | Rs.100 | Rs.1,000 |
194 C | Overloading of two wheelers | Rs.100 | Rs.2,000 and 3 months of disqualification for license |
194 D | Not wearing helmet | Rs.100 | Rs.1,000 and 3 months of disqualification for license |
194 E | Not giving way for emergency vehicles | New regulation | Rs.10,000 |
196 | Driving without vehicle insurance | Rs.1,000 | Rs.2,000 |
199 | Juvenile offences | New regulation | Guardian/vehicle owner will be held responsible. Rs.25,000 fine with 3 years imprisonment. Juvenile will be tried under JJ Act. The vehicle's registration will also be cancelled |
206 | Officers can impound documents |
| Suspend driving licenses under sections 183, 184, 185, 189, 190, 194C, 194D, 194E |
210 B | Offences by enforcing authorities |
| Twice the fine under the corresponding section |
Some of the basic rules that need to be followed while driving in India are as follows:
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