As the road safety and the callous attitude of motorists have plagued Indian roads for a long time now and very little has been done to change things. Now, Lok Sabha’s move to bring in radical reforms to the old Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill seems like we are heading in the right direction.
The Lok Sabha has taken a major step regarding the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill. On April 10, the Lok Sabha has approved the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill 2016 which will bring about radical reforms in the transport sector. In the newly revised bill, the Union Cabinet has proposed stringent laws and fines to regulate road and vehicular safety.
In addition to this, there was a proposal of heavy increase in compensation to families of accident victims and charging heavy penalties on law breakers. The bill has for the first time announced a fine of Rs. 10,000 on those who do not allow for emergency vehicles to pass, especially during rush hour when roads are chock-a-block with traffic.
The penalties in the revised bill are as follows:
1. Driving without a valid license will now attract a fine of Rs 5000.
2. Drunk and driving fine stands at Rs 10,000 as opposed to the current Rs 2000.
3. Now riders caught without a helmet have to pay a fine of Rs. 1000.
The bill also seeks to cap maximum liability for third party insurance at 10 lakh in case of death in a motor accident. In the case of death in hit-and-run accidents, the bill provides for an eight-fold increase in compensation to 2 lakh.
Proposed new fines as per media reports. pic.twitter.com/aYYlIh00pM
— R Hithendra, IPS. (@AddlCPTraffic) April 10, 2017
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the bill, which is an amendment to the almost 30-year-old Motor Vehicle Act of 1988, “aims to save human lives”.
Apart from this, the bill seeks to make services like issuance of license totally transparent and online and provides for punitive action against officials in case of delay in issuing of the document to eligible applicants.
If the license is not issued in three days, then the RTO will have to face action. A learner’s license can be availed online sitting at home.