Rs.1,000 fine for not wearing seat belts, Rs.25,000 for drunk driving

New Delhi: The revised hike in penalties for traffic violators which is approved by Union Government after passage of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2017 in both the Houses of the Parliament came into force from today.

The Bill proposed huge increases in various penalties for traffic violations, protection to Good Samaritans, and recall of defective vehicle parts by auto companies, holding builders accountable for poor quality of infrastructure and making vehicle owners criminally liable for violations committed by juvenile drivers.

From increasing the penalties to making vehicle owners liable for the violations committed by juvenile drivers — the Bill proposed a number of changes including  the minimum fine for drunk driving has been increased from Rs. 2,000 to Rs.10,000.

 The fine for rash driving has been increased from Rs. 1,000 to Rs.5,000. Driving without a licence will attract a minimum fine of Rs.5,000 as against Rs. 500 at present.  The fine for over-speeding will go up from Rs.400 to Rs.1,000- 2,000.

Not wearing seat belt would attract a fine of Rs.1, 000 as against Rs.100 at present and talking on a mobile phone while driving will attract a fine of Rs.5,000, up from Rs.1,000.

Drunk driving fine has been increased to Rs.10,000 from Rs.2,000. The fine will be Rs.5,000 for driving without a licence. At present, it costs you Rs.500.

 For hit-and-run cases and gruesome fatal accidents, there will be a compensation of Rs. 2, 00,000 or more from the government to victim’s family. At present, it is Rs.25, 000. 

If a juvenile is caught for committing a traffic violation, the owner of the vehicle would be held responsible. The registration of the motor vehicle in question will be cancelled.

In traffic violations by juveniles, the guardians or owner of the vehicle would be held responsible unless they prove the offence was committed without their knowledge or they tried to prevent it. The registration of the motor vehicle in question will be cancelled. The juvenile will be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act.

A Motor Vehicle Accident Fund will provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India for certain types of accidents. It will be mandatory to alter vehicles to make them suitable for specially- abled people.

Contractors, consultants and civic agencies will be accountable for faulty design, construction or poor maintenance of roads leading to accidents.  The time limit for renewal of Driving Licence is increased from one month to one year before and after the expiry date.

The government can recall vehicles whose components or engine do not meet the required standards and the manufacturers can be fined up to Rs.500 crore for it.