Pay Rs 1000 For Not Wearing Helmet, Rs 5,000 For Driving Without License, Adhaar Mandatory For DL

New Delhi: A new era in the transport sector emerges with the passage of the much awaited Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in the lower house Rajya Sabha. The bill intends to bring more discipline on roads by stringent motor vehicle rules and regulations.

The bill has provisions of higher penalties for different traffic violations. The new Bill mandates penalty of Rs 1000 for not wearing helmet and driving without licence will attract a fine of Rs 5,000. It makes the Adhaar mandatory for issuance of Driving licence and the vehicle registration.

The new Bill will make traffic violations more costly as the penalties have been increased many times. The penalties regarding motor vehicles will increase by 10 % every year. It has been done with an aim to curb violations and as an act of deterrent against traffic violations like minors driving vehicles, drunken driving, driving without licence, over-speeding etc.

The new Bill is going to replace the age old provisions that are seen as obsolete today. Its intention is to minimize the road fatalities through stringent rules.

The Bill has provisions such as penalty of Rs 5,000 instead of Rs 500 for driving without license and over speeding. While drunken driving will invite penalties of Rs 10,000 instead of the present Rs 2000, helmetless ride is going to cost a thousand bucks.

Some of the highlights of the bill are as follows:

• Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 replaces the The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
• Aadhaar must for issuance of driving licence.
• Rs 10,000 fine for not providing passage to emergency vehicles.
• Three years jail and uptoRs 25 thousand fine to Parents of a juveniles caught for traffic offences.
• Includes driver’s attendant in 3rd Party insurance.
• No cap on liability of insurers and 10 times increase in insurance compensation, from Rs 50, 000 to Rs 5 lakh.
• Central government to create a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, which will provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users of the country.
• Facilitates grant of online learning licence.
• Simplifies insurance provisions for swift help to accident victims and their families.
• Increases the time limit for renewal of driving licence to one year before and after the expiry date.
• Increases the period for renewal of transport licence from three years to five years and enables the authority to grant licence even to differently abled persons.
• Allows Government to recall motor vehicles if a defect in the vehicle may cause damage to the environment, or the driver, or other road users.
• The manufacturer of the recalled vehicle will be required to either reimburse the buyers for the full cost of the vehicle, or replace the defective vehicle with another vehicle with similar or better specifications.
• Penalty of up to Rs 100 crore or imprisonment of up to one year or both if a vehicle manufacturer fails to comply with motor vehicle standards.
• Fine of Rs One Lakh on contractors failing to comply with road design standards.
• Automated fitness testing for vehicles to reduce corruption.
• Good Samaritan guidelines incorporated to help people helping accident victims, provides rules to prevent harassment of such a person.
• Cashless Treatment during Golden Hour.
• Minimum compensation for hit and run cases increased from Rs 25,000 to two lakh rupees in case of death, and from Rs 12,500 to Rs 50,000 in case of grievous injury.
• Provision for online Learners Licence with mandatory online identity verification
• Commercial licenses will be valid up to five years instead of three.
• Application for renewal can be made one year prior to or after licence lapses.
• Registration at the end of the dealer is being enabled and restrictions have been imposed on temporary registration.
• The Bill defines aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places.