NEW TRAFFIC RULES IN INDIA BEING IMPLEMENTED FROM 1 SEPTEMBER 2019

1. Driving Without License:

The fine for driving with a DL has been increased by 10 times from the old penalty of Rs.500 to now Rs.5,000.

2. Driving Without Insurance:

Through the amendment of the New MV Act 2019, the penalty has been increased from Rs.1,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months to Rs.2,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for the first-time offence and Rs.4,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for the second-time offence.

3. Driving Regardless of Disqualification:

The penalty for driving despite disqualification has been hiked from Rs.500 to Rs.10,000 emphasising on repeated offence.

4. Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Intoxicating Substance:

If you’re caught for drink and drive, get ready to pay a hefty fine of Rs.10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months for the first-time offence and if you’re caught for the second-time for the same offence, the fine is Rs.15,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 2 years.

5. Not Wearing Helmet:

The traffic fine for riding a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet is Rs.1,000, up from old penalty of Rs.100.

6. Racing and Speeding:

The penalty has been increased from Rs.500 to Rs.5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for the first-time offence, while for the second-time offence, the fine is Rs.10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 1 year.

7. Offences by Juveniles:

While there was no penalty for this type of offence, the New MV (Amendment) Act, 2019 imposes a fine of Rs.25,000 with imprisonment of 3 years for which the owner or the guardian shall be deemed guilty.

8. Offences Committed by Enforcing Officers:

While there was no penalty for this offence, the new fine is double the penalty under the relevant section.

Bribing Traffic Officials:

To get away from the fine and penalties arising due to breaking traffic rules in India, people try to bribe police officials. To some extent, people even manage to get away by paying a bribe in the form of cash. However, bribing an official is a crime in itself and should not be committed. The government is taking certain measures to decrease and eventually eliminate this atrocious crime. One of such measures is the introduction of ‘e-challan‘. This system works similar to you purchasing something and using your debit or credit card to pay the money and receiving a receipt. This way, cash does not come into the picture and the funds are transferred directly to the government. In this manner, they can also keep a track of offences and the people involved.