Road traffic violations have always been one of the major hazards to society. More so in recent times, these have been the cause of a number of injuries, and deaths, throughout the country. The Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, has finalised the new rules and regulations of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019. This was initially discussed at the Lok Sabha and then the Rajya Sabha. However, it was recently strongly re-proposed, in both houses, by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. The following is the list of proposed changes to the existing penalties for violationg road safety rules:
List of penalties for violating road safety rules
| Offence | Old Penalty (in rupees) | New Penalty (in rupees) |
| Driving without helmet | 100 | 1000, suspension of license for three months |
| Driving without license | 500 | 5000 |
| Drunken driving | 2000 | 10,000 |
| Driving without seatbelt | 100 | 1000 |
| Under-age driving | NA | 25,000 |
| Over speeding | 400 | 1000 to 4000 |
| Dangerous driving | 1000 | 5000 |
| Driving without insurance | 1000 | 2000 |
| Overloading of vehicles | 2000 | 20,000 |
| Carrying passengers more than the permitted limit | 500 | 2000 |
| Not providing way to emergency vehicles | NA | 10,000 |
The fines, for violating traffic laws, have been increased drastically with the motive of improving road safety throughout the country. Driving without a license would have been charged Rs. 500, but now, having increased ten times, the violators will have to pay a fine of Rs.5,000. Also, driving without a seatbelt, or helmet would have attracted a fine of Rs. 100. But as per the revised Bill, the fine has been hiked to Rs.1,000.
While the above-mentioned penalties are as per the changes proposed by the Centre, they might be subject to change, depending on the State Government’s call.
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