Amendments To Motor Vehicle Act Passed In Lok Sabha

The Motor Vehicle Amendments Bill of 2016 was first approved by the Union Cabinet back in 2016 and recently, the Lok Sabha too gave it the green signal. It still has to go through the Rajya Sabha and the President's desk before it's implemented.

The amendment aims to bring down the number of road accidents and fatalities by cracking down on traffic violators. Fines for jumping red signals, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without seatbelt or helmet, etc. are proposed to be increased several folds in the bill.

Here's a list of some of the changes the bill proposes to make to the Motor Vehicle Act of 1988:

1. Drunk driving will attract a penalty of Rs 10,000, up from previous fine of Rs 2,000.

2. Not wearing a helmet or not buckling up the seat belt while riding/driving will cost Rs 1,000 in fine compared to the existing penalty of Rs 100. Pillions too will need to wear a helmet regardless of their gender. Only Sikhs will be allowed to ride a two-wheeler without a helmet if they're dressed in a turban.

3. Anyone over four years old riding on a two-wheeler will have to wear a helmet.

4. In the case of a hit-and-run case, the offender will have to cough up Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased, up from a measly amount of Rs 25,000 that's currently in place. Depending on the offender's carelessness and the severity of the accident, the number could shoot up to Rs 10 lakh.

5. If a minor person is caught with a traffic violation, the parents/guardians will be held guilty while the youngster will be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act. The registration of the vehicle will also stand terminated in such an event.

6. Not giving way to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and firefighters will cost Rs 10,000 in fines.

7. Carrying more passengers than specified in the RC will result in a fine of Rs 1,000 per extra person.

8. On the commercial side, an overloaded vehicle will be charged Rs 20,000 in addition to Rs 2,000 per additional tonne of goods.

9. The officers will have the power to impound the driver's documents in the event of rash driving, over-speeding and drunk driving among others.

10. To get the cops to lead with example, on duty law-enforcing officers will be subject to double the penalty under the respective categories in case of a violation.

11. Manufacturers will be required to recall their vehicle if an issue is discovered in any of the critical components that could potentially lead to an accident.

12. All government vehicles will need to have at least a third-party insurance.

Save for a nominal YoY dip in 2012, the number of fatalities has been on a constant rise since 2005, according to a 10-year report released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in 2016. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh led the road of embarrassment with a total of 69,059, 63,805 and 54,947 accidents in 2015, respectively. It was far more surprising to see Uttar Pradesh leading on the charts of fatalities despite a relatively lower number of accidents. UP witnessed a total of 32,385 accidents in 2015 claiming 17,666 lives and injuring 23,205 people.

As expected, two-wheeler riders form a big portion of the fatal accidents and not wearing a helmet only adds fuel to the fire. Being visible is the first step in road safety, and with the mandatory inclusion of the always headlamp on feature, it'll be easier for other road users to see two-wheelers from afar.

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Manufacturers too are incorporating modern technologies that help save lives and also prevent an accident in the first place. Volvo is leading the charge with the XC90 T8 Excellence, which can detect pedestrians, animals and cyclists and apply brakes automatically even if the driver fails to do so in time. However, the company isn't keen on bringing the same technology to their more affordable models, limiting its access to the uber-rich only.

On the mass market front, Maruti Suzuki has taken an oath to bring ABS, dual airbags and ISOFIX child seat anchors to as many cars as possible. The company commenced launching cars that meet the upcoming safety norms set to go live later this year well before the due date, thereby setting an example for other carmakers to follow. At Rs 4.59 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the petrol-powered Sigma variant of the Maruti Suzuki Ignis is currently the most affordable car to come with all of the required safety features and a strong passenger shell to meet the new guidelines. The upcoming Swift DZire and the next-gen Swift are also expected to get the new safety features as standard equipment on all variants.

Let's hope that the increased penalties and safer cars hitting the roads help bring down the number of accidents in years to come.

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