Motor Vehicle Act (Amendment) Bill 2017 to change how India drives

Motor Vehicle Act (Amendment) Bill 2017 is intended to make our roads safer and save lives and is up for hearing in the ongoing The Winter Session of the Parliament (15th December, 2017 – 5th January, 2018).

With 5 lakh road accidents reported in India each year, 1.5 lakh lives are lost. Government’s 5 year plan envisions 50% reduction in accidents and fatalities. The tabled Motor Vehicle Act is to see 68 sections amended of 223 sections. Compensation for Hit & Run cases is to be increased from Rs. 25000 to Rs. 2 lakhs. Provision for payment of compensation is fixed at upto Rs 10 lakh in road accidents fatalities.

Improvement is proposed in the areas of road safety, rural transport, last mile connectivity, public transport, automation, computerization, online services, passenger convenience, online learning licenses, and increasing validity period for driving licenses. The proposal also hopes to hold guardian /owner guilty for offences by juveniles. Juveniles are to be tried under JJ Act, and motor vehicle registration cancelled.

Juvenile driving, drunken driving, driving without licence, dangerous driving, over-speeding, riding without a helmet, overloading, etc are to be viewed strictly. Good Samaritan guidelines will help passerby take appropriate action in helping the wounded in an accident. Road worthiness of transport vehicles is to be determined through timely fitness testing from 1st October 2018. Penalties could be levied upon violation of safety/environmental regulations as well as body builders and spare part suppliers.

National Register for Driving Licence and National Register for Vehicle registration ‘Vahan’ and ‘Sarathi’ platforms are collecting vehicle and driver data for nationwide uniformity and access. Registration process for new vehicles will be enabled at the dealer level. Restrictions are being imposed on temporary registration.

Penalties (Rs 500 crore) are to be levied on auto companies that are found to be manufacturing faulty vehicles. Aadhaar is being made mandatory to get a driving licence and for vehicle registration. Minimum fine for drunk driving is increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000. Fine for rash driving is increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000. Driving without a licence is to be fined at Rs 5,000 up from Rs 500. Over-speeding fine is up from 400 to Rs 1,000-2,000. Not wearing seatbelt will cost you Rs 1,000, up from Rs 100 at present. Talking on a mobile phone while driving warrants a fine of Rs 5,000, up from Rs 1,000.

Vehicles are to be altered to be suitable for specially-abled people. Contractors, consultants and civic agencies are to be held accountable for faulty design, poor construction and/or poor road maintenance leading to accidents.

Old vs New (Proposed) Penalty