Explained | The new Motor Vehicle Act

The Motor Vehicles Act 2019 came into force September 1st onwards. The Bill includes some major changes to ensure road safety, holding taxi aggregators responsible and new provisions on third party insurance.

Here's a roundup of the changes in the Motor Vehicles Bill that you need to watch out for.

Heavy Fines for offences

First, the Bill has raised the fines levied on drivers to make roads safer. The fine for drunken driving has been increased from 500 to 10,000 rupees. Similarly the fine for driving without a license has been raised from 500 to 5000 rupees.

To further discourage offences, the fines will be increased by 10% after every 3 years.

However, some experts critique that this may only lead to rise in corruption due to the higher fines. Punjab and Madhya Pradesh are yet to implement higher penalties. According to the states, this will only place additional burden on the common man.  On the first day of the Act's implementation, the driver of a second hand Honda activa was fined 15000 rupees. He claimed that was nearly the same amount that he bought the scooter for. More than 3,900 challans were issued to traffic violators on the first day.

Relief for renewal of Driving License

The period for renewal of driver's license has been extended from one month to one year after the date of expiry. If delayed more than a year , the driver has to undergo a test of competence.

Good Samaritan Policy: The Bill defines a good samaritan as a person who renders emergency medical or non-medical assistance to a victim at the scene of an accident. Such a person will not be liable for any civil or criminal action for any injury to or death of an accident victim.

While a Supreme Court ruling in March 2016  had already brought in a good samaritan law, it's inclusion in the Motor Vehicles bill will help in raising awareness about it, across the country.

Liability for juvenile drivers

In case of accidents involving juvenile drivers, the guardian of such juvenile or the owner of the motor vehicle will be deemed to be guilty. The guardian or owner is punishable with imprisonment for a term of three years and with a fine of twenty-five thousand rupees. But the guardian or owner will not be liable if the juvenile has a learner’s licence.

National Transportation Policy

The Central Government  National Transportation Policy to establish a planning framework for passengers and goods transportation within which transport bodies are to operate. The policy will establish a framework for grants of permits and schemes.

For more on this, watch the video by Pramiti Lonkar