Motor Vehicles Act 2019: Know All Changes in Fines and Penalties For Offenders

Modified On Sep 06, 2019 04:15 PM By CarDekho

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With new rules coming into force, find out how much fine would need to be paid or punishment to be served for various traffic violations.

With the provisions of the new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 coming into effect from September 1, 2019, those breaking traffic rules will need to shell out heavier fines and stricter penalties. For example, the punishment for drunk driving has increased from ₹2000 to ₹10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months to 1 year for first offence. Repeat offenders will need to pay more fine and serve higher jail time. Even driving without insurance can land you in jail for 3 months and a fine of Rs 2,000 for the first offence. The government believes the stricter penalties will act as a stronger deterrent against violation of traffic rules and, in turn, help improve road safety.

Below are the changes in fines and penalties as per the new Motor Vehicles Act 2019:

Offence	Old Penalty	New Penalty
General (offences for which no penalty is defined otherwise)	₹100 for first offence; ₹300 for subsequent offence	₹500 for first offence; ₹1,500 for subsequent offence
Road regulation violation	₹100	₹500
Disobedience of orders of authorities	₹500	₹2,000
Unauthorized use of vehicles without licence	₹1,000	₹1,000 - ₹5,000
Driving without licence	₹500	₹5,000 and/or community service
Driving despite disqualification	₹500	₹10,000 and/or community service
Oversized vehicles	N/A	₹5,000 - ₹10,000 and/or community service
Over-speeding	₹400	₹1,000 - ₹2,000 for LMV ₹2,000 - ₹4,000 for MPV/HPV and/or impounding of driving licence
Dangerous driving (e.g. jumping red light)	₹1,000	₹1,000 - ₹5,000 and/or imprisonment of 6 months to 1 year for first offence, seizure of licence; Rs. 10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 2 years for subsequent offence
Drink driving	₹2,000	₹10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months to 1 year for first offence; Rs. 15,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 2 years for subsequent offence
Speeding/Racing	₹500	₹5,000 and/or imprisonment of 1 month, community service; ₹10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 1 month for subsequent offence
Offences relating to accident	N/A	Up to ₹5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months for first offence; ₹10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 1 year for subsequent offence
Driving when mentally/physically unfit to drive	₹200 for first offence; ₹500 for subsequent offence	₹1,000 for first offence; ₹2,000 for subsequent offence
Vehicle without permit	Up to ₹5,000	₹10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months, community service
Aggregators (violations of licencing conditions)	N/A	₹25,000 to ₹1 lakh
Overloading	₹2,000 and ₹1,000 per extra tonne	₹20,000 and ₹2,000 per extra tonne
Overloading of passengers	N/A	₹1,000 per extra passenger
No Seat belt	₹100	₹1,000 and/or community service
Overloading of two wheelers	₹100	₹2,000, disqualification of licence for 3 months and/or community service
Not wearing a helmet	₹100	₹1,000 and/or disqualification of licence for 3 months, community service
Not providing way for emergency vehicles like ambulance	N/A	₹10,000 and/or community service
Driving without insurance	₹1,000 and/or punishment up to 3 months	Rs. 2,000 and/or imprisonment up to 3 months for the first offence; Rs. 4000 and/or imprisonment up to 3 months for the subsequent offence
Offences by juveniles	N/A	Guardian/owner shall be deemed to be guilty. ₹25,000 with 3 years imprisonment and cancellation of the registration of the vehicle for 12 months. Juvenile will be tried under The Juvenile Justice Act.
Power of officers to impound documents	N/A	Suspension of driving licence
Offences committed by enforcing authorities	N/A	Twice the penalty under the relevant section
Taking vehicle without lawful authority/seizing motor vehicle by force	₹500	₹5,000
Obstructing free flow of traffic	₹50	₹500