The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2017, now before Parliament, prescribes stringent punishment and penalty for violation of traffic rules and seeks to offer adequate compensation to victims of road accidents.
It proposes a three-year jail term for parents of minor drivers who cause fatal accidents.
They will not be let off the hook unless it is established beyond doubt that the vehicle was used without their knowledge, and that they had exercised all due diligence to prevent it. That apart, the registration of the vehicles in question will be cancelled.
The Bill proposes that the minimum fine for drunk driving be raised from the current ₹2,000 to ₹10,000 and that for rash driving from ₹1,000 to ₹5,000. It also proposes a compensation of ₹2 lakh or more for the kin of hit-and-run victims.
It makes Aadhaar mandatory for obtaining driving licence and vehicle registration.
Good Samaritans
The Bill also seeks to offer protection to Good Samaritans who help accident victims, in accordance with the Good Samaritan guidelines issued by the Supreme Court.
It absolves such persons of civil and criminal liability and makes it optional for them to disclose their identity to the police or medical personnel.
Besides, the Bill suggests a fine of ₹5,000, as against the current ₹500, for driving without licence.
The fine for over-speeding will go up from ₹400 to ₹2,000. A fine of ₹1,000, as against the present ₹100, has been prescribed for not wearing seat belt. Moreover, a fine of ₹5,000 will have to be paid by those caught for talking on mobile phone while driving. It seeks to set up a ‘Motor Vehicle Accident Fund’ to provide automatic cover to all road accident victims.
In a bid to prevent duplication of licences and registration, the vehicle owner should link the driving licence and vehicle registration with Aadhaar.
To streamline the process of issuing and documenting registrations and licences, the Bill envisages the creation of a National Register for Driving Licence and a National Register for Vehicle Registration through the Vahan (for vehicle registry) and Sarthi (for driving licences) schemes of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
It also removes the cap on liability for third party insurance. It has cappped ₹10 lakh for deaths and ₹5 lakh for injuries.