Now violating traffic norms may cost dearly, heaviest fine provisioned

Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act-2019 to come into effect from Sept 1 onwards. However, punishment related sections not effective from aforesaid date since amendments upto Section 92 has only been made effective

Be aware motorists! Next time you attempt to overrule the laid down traffic norms, like signal jumping, driving without helmet, rash driving, transgression of stop line at the signals and many such flaws arising out of negligent driving, may for sure affect your bank balance. For the reasons, Chhattisgarh Police is all set to introduce the new provision laid down under Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act-2019, with effect from September 1 onwards, which has provision for imposing heaviest penalties on violators. However, punishment related sections not effective from September 1st since amendments upto Section 92 only made effective.

So much so that the new provision under Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act-2019 not only aims to reinforce the stringent penal actions and hefty penalties, it also serves as a deterrent purpose for the parents and guardians allowing their minor wards to dangerously drive on the roads. While entire structure for imposing penalty against traffic violations have been hiked from 2:5 to 10 times than the previous, the amended act also empowers traffic police to go in for impounding the driving license of the errant motorists along with ensuring maximum penal provision of 3 years along with Rs 25000 fine.

While encapsulating the details of Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act-2019, with a much assertion on spreading awareness and building general consensus towards road safety and traffic norms, Special Director General of Police (Traffic) Rajinder Kumar Vij along with his team of experts from Traffic Police and Department of Road Transport (DRT) was available on Saturday evening at New Circuit House during a brief media interaction. SDG Vij accompanied by Assistant Transport Commissioner D Ravishankar and Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) M R Mandavi, explained all the provision in a laymen terminologies so as to facilitate the motorists to comply with the law aimed at safe driving. “Giving your minor child the keys to your car will become an expensive affair from September 1.

As per the new law, if the motor vehicle is used by the child, then the registration of your vehicle may be cancelled for one year and the minor child will not be able to get his/her learner’s licence till the age of 25. Moreover, the parents/vehicle owner will be fined a sum of Rs 25,000 and face imprisonment of up to three years,” explained the SDG. SDG Vij further added that stricter penalty laws will become applicable in case of dangerous driving. First time offenders will face imprisonment of six months to one year and/or fine of between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000.

For the second offence, the offender will be imprisoned for up to 2 years and/or will have to pay a fine of up to Rs 10,000. Similarly, from September 1, new penalties have been prescribed for carrying of excess passengers, failure to use safety belt and violation of rules in seating of children, violation of safety measures for motor cycle drivers and pillion riders, refusal to stop and submit vehicle for weighing, use of phones in silent zones and failure to allow free passage to emergency vehicles.