New motor bill proposes strict actions against offenders including higher penalties, license cancellation and imprisonment of up to 7 years in case of a child death.
It is not a hidden fact for the number of road accidents that prevail on Indian roads every day. With our roads turned into a huge menace with absolute disregard for safety and traffic rules, the new government is planning hard to clear the streets of any traffic rule violators. As per the new Motor Bill proposed, the violators will be levied with strict penalties and fines of up to Rs. 3 lakhs along with seven year imprisonment for death of a child in certain circumstances.
In addition, the 2014 Road Safety and Transport Bill proposes fine of Rs. 5 lakhs per vehicle as well as imprisonment for faulty manufacturing design, apart from license cancellation for rash and negligent driving. The bill also proposed a penalty of up to Rs. 1 lakh or imprisonment for 6 months that may extend to a year or both, in case of using vehicles in unsafe conditions. Moreover, violating the traffic signal three times will attract a fine of Rs. 15,000/- coupled with license cancellation for a month and compulsory refresher training.
For drink and drive offences, the new bill states that the first drunk driving offence will attract a fine of Rs. 25,000/- or imprisonment for 3 months or both and a 6 months license suspension. In case of a second drink and drive offence within three years, the penalty will rise to Rs. 50,000/- or imprisonment for up to 1 year or both. It will also lead to suspension of license for a year.
Any further offence after the suspension will lead to license cancellation and impounding of the vehicle for a month. The bill also states that school bus drivers caught drunk while driving will attract a Rs. 50,000/- fine with imprisonment for three years. If the driver is in the age group of 18-25, an immediate cancellation of the license will be imposed. Furthermore, the bill also provides for graded point system for imposing fines.
While the penalties and fines may seem too harsh, they also deem to be necessary in curbing traffic violators. Having said that, is levying new laws sufficient to bring discipline on the road or does it need work from ground level including stoppage of corruption cases, better roads, transparency in paper work and a lot more. We would like to hear your opinions on the new set of penalties and fines proposed.
