The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2019 is not far away from becoming an Act.
The Upper House has passed the bill with a voice vote with 108 Ayes in favour of the Bill and 13 voices against it.
The much-awaited Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill has passed scrutiny from the Rajya Sabha with the Upper House clearing it with 108 to 13 voice vote. The President will now give his consent for the Bill to become an Act.
The Union Minister-in-charge of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, opined that the Bill would pave for a safe, efficient, and corruption-free transport system in India. Some of the significant changes are as follows.
Traffic Offence | Proposed Penalty |
Disregarding traffic signals or using mobile phones while driving | Fine of Rs 5,000 and a jail term up to one year |
Travelling without a valid ticket | Rs 500 |
Disobedience of orders | Rs 2,000 |
Unauthorised usage of vehicles without licence | Rs 5,000 |
Driving without a valid licence | Rs 5,000 |
Driving in spite of disqualifications | Rs 10,000 |
Over speeding | LMV – Rs 1,000 MPV – Rs 2,000 |
Dangerous driving | Rs 5,000 |
Driving under the influence of alcohol | Rs 10,000 |
Driving without a valid permit | Rs 10,000 |
Overloading of vehicles | Goods – Rs 2,000 per additional tonne Passengers – Rs 1,000 per additional passenger |
Driving without a seat belt | Rs 1,000 |
Overloading of 2-wheelers | Rs 2,000 leading to disqualification of driving licence for three months |
Riding without helmet | Rs 1,000 with the disqualification of licence for up to three months |
The following are some of the new provisions in the Bill.
Oversize vehicles | Rs 5,000 |
Violating licensing conditions by aggregators | Rs 1 lakhs |
Not giving way to emergency vehicles | Rs 10,000 |
Traffic violations by juveniles | Guardian will pay Rs 25,000 as fine Three-year imprisonment depending on the gravity of the act The juvenile will face trial under the Juvenile Justice Act Cancellation of registration of the vehicle |
Nitin Gadkari says that these stringent measures could go on to deter people and thereby, reduce fatal accidents on the roads. The Bill also proposes to hold vehicle manufacturers responsible for non-compliance of motor vehicle standards. The penalty could go up to Rs 100 Crores and imprisonment up to one year. Road contractors failing to design roads matching the latest criteria face a penalty of Rs 1 lakh.
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The Bill proposes to bring changes to the insurance aspects.
Maximum 3rd party insurance – Rs 10 lakhs for death and Rs 5 lakhs for injuries
Cashless treatment of accident victims during the critical golden hour
The Bill also proposes to provide relief to good Samaritans.
