Steep penalties for traffic rule violations from today

Amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act were passed by the Parliament recently but most come into effect from September 1. This means that driving errors are going to make a huge dent in your budget and some of them may cost you the same or more than your monthly fuel bill. The transport ministry issued a notification on August 28 listing out all the laws that will be coming into effect from September 1, 2019. Here is the list of the important new motor vehicle laws that are coming into effect from Sunday, i.e., September 1, according to press release.Enhancement of penaltiesThe new Motor Vehicles Act has enhanced the penalties for driving errors. According to the transport ministry's press release explaining the summary of changes in the Act, it has enhanced "penalty for offences where no penalty is specifically provided for- first offence from up to Rs 100 to Rs 500 and second/subsequent offence from up to Rs 300 to Rs 1,500."Additionally, new penalties have been introduced in case of violation of road regulations. The new penalty can be between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.Stricter penalty laws will become applicable in case of dangerous driving. First time offenders will face imprisonment of six months to one year and/or fine of between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000. For the second offence, the offender will be imprisoned for up to 2 years and/or will have to pay a fine of up to Rs 10,000. In case of drunken driving, imprisonment up to 6 months and/or a fine of up to Rs 10,000 in case of first time offense. For the second offense, there will be a prison term of up to 2 years and/or a fine of Rs 15,000 will be levied. Driving an uninsured vehicle can actually land you in jail from September 1. According the new Motor Vehicles Act, you can be penalised an amount of Rs 2,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 3 months for the first time you are caught driving an uninsured vehicle. For the second offense, a fine of Rs 4,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months. You will have to pay penalty of Rs 5,000 in case you are caught driving without licence. The penalty in these cases has been enhanced by 10 times. Previously, the penalty for driving without licence was Rs 500.Laws under Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019 with effect from September 1, 2019 Penalty Old Amount New Amount Penalty for offenses where no penalty is specifically provided Rs 100 for first offense and Rs 300 for second/subequent offense Rs 500 for first time offense, Rs 1,500 for subsequent offense Violation of road regulations - Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 Traveling without Ticket Rs 200 Rs 500 Disobedience of orders of Authority and refusal to share information Rs 500 Rs 2,000 Unauthorised use of vehicles without license Rs 1,000 Rs 5,000 Driving without license Rs 500 Rs 5,000 Driving despite disqualification Rs 500 Rs 10,000 Over-speeding Rs 400 Rs 1000 - Rs 2000 for light motor vehicle, Rs 2,000 - Rs 4,000 for medium passenger or goods vehicles and impounding of driving license for second/subsequent offence. Dangerous Driving - Imprisonment of 6 months to 1 year and/or fine of Rs. 1000- Rs. 5000 for first offence and imprisonment up to 2 years and/or fine up to Rs. 10000 for second offence. Drunken Driving - Imprisonment up to 6 months and/or fine up to Rs. 10000 for first offence and imprisonment up to 2 years and/or fine of Rs. 15000 for second offence. Driving when mentally or physically unfit to drive for Rs 200 for first offense, Rs 500 for second/subsequent offense First offence - Rs. 1000 and second/subsequent offence - Rs.2000 Offences relating to accident - Imprisonment of up to 6 months and/or fine up to Rs. 5000 for first offence and imprisonment up to 1 year and/or fine up to Rs. 10000 for second offence. Racing and speeding - Imprisonment of up to 1 month and/or fine up to Rs. 500 for first offence and imprisonment up to 1month and/or fine up to Rs. 10000 for second offence. Driving uninsured vehicle fine of Rs. 1000 and/or punishment up to 3 months Rs. 2000 and/or imprisonment up to 3 months for the first offence and fine of Rs. 4000 and/or imprisonment up to 3 months for the second offence. Taking vehicle without lawful authority and seizing motor vehicle by force Rs 500 Rs. 5000 Causing obstruction to free flow of traffic Rs 50 Rs. 500 Penalty in case of driving despite being disqualified will cost you Rs 10,000 from Rs 500 previously.Penalty for over-speeding has been enhanced from up to Rs 400 to Rs 1,000. In case of a light motor vehicle it will be Rs 2,000. For medium passenger or goods vehicles and subsequent offence, the penalty can be between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000.If you are caught racing and speeding, you can be imprisoned for up to one month and/or a fine up to Rs 500 will be levied if it is a first time offense. In case of a second offense, though imprisonment will remain same, the penalty can go up to Rs 10,000.Starting from September 1, travelling without ticket in state transport buses will cost you more. The penalty amount has been increased from up to Rs 200 to Rs 500.A penalty of Rs 2,000 can also be levied on you in case you disobey government orders and refuse to share the information requested with the authorities. Prior to this, the amount of penalty in such a case was Rs 500.Unauthorised use of vehicles without licence will cost you Rs 5,000, up from previous penalty amount of Rs 1,000.Penalty in case of driving when mentally or physically unfit to drive has been increased to Rs 1,000 from Rs 200 for first-time offense. For second and subsequent offenses, the penal amount has been increased from up to Rs 500 to Rs 2,000.Offenses relating to accidents, from September 1, can lead to imprisonment of up to 6 months and/or fine up to Rs 5,000 for first time offence. For the second offence, imprisonment of up to 1 year and/or a fine up to Rs 10,000 will be levied.From September 1, new penalties have been prescribed for carrying of excess passengers, failure to use safety belt and violation of rules in seating of children, violation of safety measures for motor cycle drivers and pillion riders, refusal to stop and submit vehicle for weighing, use of phones in silent zones and failure to allow free passage to emergency vehicles.Causing obstruction in free flow of traffic can lead to penalty of Rs 500 up from Rs 50 earlier.Expiry of driving licenceAs per the new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, an individual can apply for renewal of driving licence any time between one year before its expiry and up to one after its expiry. This would mean that if your driving licence is expiring in October 2020, then you can apply for renewal from October 2019 till October 2021. However, if you apply for renewal after one year of expiry of licence then you will be required to undertake the driving licence test once again.Change in residence addressStarting from September 1, if you wish to change the residence address or place of business in your driving licence, then same can be done online and you can apply for this to any registering authority within the state.If your minor kid is held for driving the motor vehicleGiving your minor child the keys to your car will become an expensive affair from September 1. As per the new law, if the motor vehicle is used by the child, then the registration of your vehicle may be cancelled for one year. Once the period of one year is over, you will have to submit a fresh application for the registration of your vehicle.As per newly inserted section, 199A and 199B of the Act, you will be fined a sum of Rs 25,000 and face imprisonment of up to three years. As for the minor child, he will not be able to get his learner's licence till the age of 25. As per the Act, there will be an annual increase of these fines by up to 10 percent.

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