Not giving way to fire brigade vehicles and ambulances will cost motorists Rs 10,000

Under Section 194(E) of the amended MV Act, any motorist failing to provide free passage to emergency services vehicles like fire brigade or ambulance on the road can be fined Rs 10,000. Police as well as Assistant Inspectors of the Motor Vehicle Department can impose and collect fines from the violators.

Under the new Act, the state government has not only increased the compounding fines of different traffic and road safety-related offences and violations but has also made several new provisions of penalising motorists under different sections of the MV Act in which there were no fines earlier.

Section 194F of the Act penalises motorists for using horns needlessly in a silence zone while driving a motor vehicle or driving a motor vehicle that makes use of a cut-out by which exhaust gases are released other than through the silencer. A fine of Rs 1,000 will be levied for the first offence and Rs 2,000 for a second or subsequent offence can be charged.

A new provision of fining those motorists, who do not keep a child (under 14 years of age) secured with a seat belt while driving is also included in the amended act.

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 15, 2019.

While it was passed and became an Act and got implemented across the country from September 1, 2019.
The state government, however, did not implement it as the Shiv Sena was against imposing the hefty fine on motorists.

Now, after 26 months, the Transport Department decided to implement the Act in the state. Subsequently, the state government notified the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 on December 2 while increasing compounding fines for different traffic offences. The notification has come into effect from December 1.
The fines range from Rs 200 to Rs 1 lakh and for some of the offences, the penalty amounts have been hiked multiple times. A new provision of disqualification of driving license for three months has also been included in the amended Act.

According to the notification issued by the government, a motorist’s driving license will be
disqualified for three months if both the biker and the pillion rider are caught without a helmet and riding over the seating capacity.

The driving licence will also be disqualified if any person drives or is driven in a vehicle in a public place in contravention to standards prescribed concerning road safety, control of noise and air pollution. The fine for this has also increased.