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Life will be tougher for those among us seeking thrill in as petty thing as breaking traffic rules. Let's admit, its not like climbing Mount Everest but these 'thrillseekers' think breaking a traffic rule is validation of their daredevilry.
Well, break all rules if you wish to but the punishment is soon getting harsher.
Central Government is planning to make Motor Vehicle Act stricter with heavy penalties for traffic rule violations. The bill for the new act is likely to get presented in the Lok Sabha in the coming days. The Modi cabinet has already cleared the bill.
Sample this, the new bill proposes 400% hike in fine if you are caught drunk driving. Driving without a seatbelt will see you paying 10 times more money than you do now (we are not alleging anything). Same is the case with driving without a license.
The government plans to crack down on illegal street racing and overspeeding as it has plans to increase penalty 20 times for these offenses. And if you think your juvenile kid can get a 'maafi' for driving your car, you're wrong. Parent/guardian/ owner of the vehicle will be held accountable in cases of underage driving. The fine? Rs 25,000 only.
And there's more, the parent/guardian/ vehicle owner will be cooling his heels in jail for 3 years. Currently there are no heavy monetary penalties for juvenile driving.
| What you may do | What you pay right now | What you may have to shell out in future |
| Driving without seatbelt | Rs 100 | Rs 1000 |
| No helmet | Rs 100 | Rs 1000 and license disqualification for 3 months |
| Not making way for emergency vehicles like ambulances etc. | No fine | Rs 10,000 |
| Drunk driving | Rs 2000 | Rs 10,000 |
| Driving in spite of license disqualification | Rs 500 | Rs 10,000 |
| Racing/ Speeding | Rs 500 | Rs 5,000 |
| Driving without license | Rs 500 | Rs 5000 |
| Offenses by juveniles | No fine | Rs 25,000 fine and 3-year jail to guardian/owner of the vehicle, cancellation of vehicle registration |
The government had introduced this bill in previous Lok Sabha. It had got approval as well. But the bill could not get converted into a law due to the dissolution of the House.
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