New motor vehicle act imposes heavy fines

New Delhi: The Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2019 which will come into effect from 1st September and imposes heavy fines for violation of road safety rules. As per the new law, the penalty for not adhering to rules start from a minimum Rs.500 to a maximum of Rs.1,00,000 including imprisonment.

Drinking and drive cases attract an Rs.10,000 fine and Rs.5,000 for driving a vehicle without a valid licence. If a minor drive a vehicle and meets with an accident, the owner of the vehicle gets an Rs.25,000 fine and imprisonment for three years.

The new law enforces that vehicle riders to give way to ambulances and violation of this rule attracts an Rs.10,000 fine. It is observed that there was no fine earlier in this case. Children who are four years or more should wear a helmet when travelling on a bike. The pillion rider should also wear a helmet.

Private vehicles will also be subjected to severe penalties. Overloaded vehicles have to pay a fine of Rs.1000 for every additional passenger. Over speeding, vehicles will be penalised for Rs.1000 to Rs.2000. The RTA (Road Travelling Authority) officials believe that the hefty fines will discourage drivers from violating traffic rules and will lessen the number of accidents.