Using mobile phone while driving, besides being a safety hazard, will now also burn a deep hole in our pocket. Motorists will have to pay ₹1,000 for the first offence and ₹2,000 for any subsequent offence.

The Transport Department came out with a notification on Tuesday about an increase in penalty for various offences, which comes into effect immediately. Prior to issuing the notification, RTOs and traffic police were imposing a penalty of ₹200 for two-wheeler, ₹300 other non-transport vehicles and ₹500 for transport vehicles for using mobile phones.

Penalty for wrong parking of vehicles and violating road safety rules has been increased from ₹100 to ₹1,000. In cities like Bengaluru, motorists also end up paying money for towing of vehicles by the traffic police from non-parking areas.

As per the notification, driving a vehicle on a road without registering it in an RTO will invite a penalty of ₹5,000 for the first offence and ₹10,000 for the subsequent offence. Driving a vehicle without a fitness certificate will cost ₹2,000 for the first offence and ₹5,000 for the second offence.