The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2016 | New Fine Structure

As we all know the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2016 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 9, 2016, aiming to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and address issues around third-party insurance, regulation of taxi aggregators, and road safety. The bill has been passed by Lok Sabha and now, Rajya Sabha needs to pass the bill which will further go for The President’s approval.

Honorable Transport Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari has termed the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) 2016 passed by cabinet as biggest reforms in the Road Safety and Transport sector. He expressed his gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister for his guidance and support.

The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2016

Old Fine vs. New Fine in India

Fine for General Offence – Under section 177, the old fine for General Offence was Rs 100. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 500-1,500 under the Motor Vehicle Amendment 2016.

Fine for Violation of Road Rules and Regulations – Under section 177A, the old fine for Violation of Road Rules and Regulations was Rs 100. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 500-1,000.

Fine for Travelling Without Tickets – Under section 178, the old fine for Travelling Without Tickets was Rs 200. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 500.

Fine for Disobedience of Authorities’ Orders – Under section 179, the old fine for Disobedience of Authorities’ Orders was Rs 500. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 2,000.

Fine for Unauthorized Use of Vehicles without License – Under section 180, the old fine for Use of Vehicles without License was Rs 1,000. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 5,000.

Fine for Driving Without License – Under section 181, the old fine for Driving Without License was Rs 500. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 5,000.

Fine for Driving Despite Disqualification – Under section 182, the old fine for Driving Despite Disqualification was Rs 500. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 10,000.

Fine for Driving Over-sized Vehicles – Under section 182 B, the new fine proposed for Driving Over-sized Vehicles is Rs 5,000-10,000. Earlier, it was not considered an offence.

Fine of Over-Speeding – Under section 183, the old fine for Over-Speeding was Rs 400. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 1,000-2,000 for light vehicles and Rs 2,000-4,000 for medium/heavy passenger vehicles.

Fine for Dangerous Driving – Under section 184, the old fine for Dangerous Driving was Rs 1,000. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 1,000-5,000 and/or 6-12 months of imprisonment.

Fine for Drunk Driving – Under section 185, the old fine for Drunk Driving was Rs 2,000. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 10,000-15,000 under the Motor Vehicle Amendment 2016.

Fine for Driving When Physically or Mentally Unfit to Drive – Under section 186, the old fine for Driving When Physically or Mentally Unfit to Drive was Rs 200 for first and Rs 500 for subsequent offence. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 1,000 for first and Rs 2,000 for subsequent offence.

Punishment for Offences Relating to Accidents – Under section 187, the old Punishment for Offences Relating to Accidents was 3 month imprisonment plus Rs 500 for first and 6 month imprisonment plus Rs 1,000 for subsequent offence. The new punishment is proposed to be 6 month imprisonment plus Rs 5,000 for first and 12 month imprisonment plus Rs 10,000 for subsequent offence.

Fine for Speeding/Racing on Public Roads – Under section 189, the old fine for Speeding/Racing on Public Roads was Rs 500. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 5,000 under The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2016.

Fine for Driving Vehicle without Permit – Under section 192 A, the old fine for Driving Vehicle without Permit was Rs 5,000. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 10,000.

Violations of Licensing Conditions (Aggregators like Ola, Uber, Meru) – Under section 193, the fine for Violations of Licensing Conditions is proposed to be Rs 25,000-1,00,000.

Fine for Overloading Goods – Under section 194, the old fine for Overloading Goods was Rs 2,000 and extra Rs 1,000 per tonne. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 20,000 and extra Rs 2,000 per tonne.

Fine for Overloading Passengers – Under section 194 A, the new fine for Overloading Passengers is Rs 200 per extra passenger under the Motor Vehicle Amendment 2016.

Fine for Not Wearing Seat Belt – Under section 194 B, the old fine for Not Wearing Seat Belt was Rs 100. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 1,000. Additional Rs 1,000 fine for not using child restraint.

Fine for Overloading of 2-wheelers – Under section 194 C, the old fine for Overloading of 2-wheelers was Rs 100. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 1,000 with additional disqualification of license for 3 months.

Fine for Not Wearing Helmet – Under section 194 D, the old fine for Not Wearing Helmet was Rs 100. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 1,000 with additional disqualification of license for 3 months.

Fine for Not Providing way for Emergency Vehicles – Under section 194 E, the old fine for Not Providing way for Emergency Vehicles was Rs 100. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 10,000 with up to 6 month imprisonment under The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2016.

Fine for Driving without Vehicle Insurance – Under section 196, the old fine for Driving without Vehicle Insurance was Rs 1,000. The new fine is proposed to be Rs 2,000 and/or 3 months imprisonment.

Fine for Failure to Comply with Standards for Road Design Construction and Maintenance – Under section 198 A, the fine is proposed to be Rs 1,00,000.

Fine for Offences by Juveniles – Under section 199, the new fine for Offences by Juveniles is proposed to be Rs 25,000 with up to 3 years imprisonment of the guardian. Juvenile will be tried under Juvenile Justice Act and vehicle registration to be cancelled.

Power of Officers to Impound Documents – Under section 206, an officer can order suspension of driving license under offence related to sections 183, 184, 185, 189, 190, 194 C, 194 D or 194 E.

Fine for Offences Committed by Enforcing Authorities – Under section 210 B, Offences Committed by Enforcing Authorities will attract twice penalty for the listed offence.

The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2016 will be presented in Winter Session soon!Around 5 lakh accidents are reported in the country annually in which 1.5 lakh people lose their lives. Government is committed to reducing the accidents and fatalities by 50% till 2020.

The Bill provides for amending the existing categories of driver licensing, recall of vehicles in case of defects, protection of good Samaritans from any civil or criminal action, increase of penalties for several offenses under the 1988 Act.

In the present Motor vehicle Act, there are 223 sections out of which the Bill amended 68 sections whereas Chapter 10 has been removed and Chapter 11 is being replaced with new provisions to simplify third party insurance claims and settlement process.

The Bill also proposed to add 28 new sections. The amendments mainly focus on issues relating to improving road safety, citizen’s facilitation while dealing with the Transport Department.

The Bill proposes hefty penalties for various traffic offenses, a three-year jail term for parents of minors caught driving and causing fatal accidents, and a ten-fold increase in compensation for the families of accident victims among other things.

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