Being the 7th largest city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Davanagere is the administrative headquarter of the Davanagere district. The Regional Transport Office of the city (KA-17) governs the city traffic besides providing driving licences, vehicle registration, and international driving permits alongside others under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Davanagere RTO maintains a comprehensive database of every vehicle on the streets. A few of the functions of Davanagere RTO are as follows:

• Issue and renew a driving licence in India

• Furnish international driving permits in India

• Gather vehicle taxes

• Issue and carry vehicle RC renewal

• Deliver vehicle fitness certificates

• Issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for vehicles

• Issue different types of permits

• Undertake measures for pollution control

Davanagere RTO provides several types of driving licences under the Transport Commissioner. These are as follows:

• Two-wheeler licence with engine capacity of 50cc or less

• Light motor vehicle licence with engine capacity over 50cc

• Heavy passenger vehicle licence

• Motorcycle licence (without gears)

• Light motor vehicle licence (non-transport purpose)

• Light Motor Vehicle licence (commercial purpose)

• Heavy transport vehicle driving licence

• Heavy trailer licence

Davanagere RTO caters to two types of vehicle registration certificates under the jurisdiction of the Transport Department of the State. These include:

• Permanent Registration

• Temporary Registration

Ensure to embed the vehicle registration number on the number plate of your vehicle.

Davanagere RTO imposes charges on the citizens for their registration processes. The vehicle registration charges in Davanagere are as follows:

• Vehicle Registration Charges: ₹600 

• Number Plate Charges: ₹230 to ₹400

• Temporary Registration Charges: ₹1200 to ₹1500 (up to 1 month)

• FasTag Charges: ₹600

• Hypothecation Charges: ₹1500

• Parking or State Development Charges: ₹2000 (cars under ₹4 lakhs), ₹4000 (above ₹4 lakhs)

Davanagere RTO follows the Karnataka road taxes that are uniform throughout the state. These are as follows:

New Two-wheelers

• Bike up to ₹40000: ₹4000

• Two-wheelers up to ₹50000: 10% of the vehicle’s price

• New Two-wheelers above ₹50000: 12% of the vehicle’s price

Old Two-wheelers

• Two-wheelers below 5 years old: 75% to 93% of the vehicle’s price

• Two-wheelers between 5 years to 10 years: 49% to 69% of the vehicle’s price

• Older two-wheelers between 10 and 15 years: 25% to 45% of the vehicle’s price

New Four-wheelers

• Cars up to ₹5 lakhs: 13% of the car’s price

• Cars between ₹5 lakhs and ₹10 lakhs: 14% of the car’s price

• Four-wheelers from ₹10 lakhs to ₹20 lakhs: 17% of the car’s price

• Four-wheelers above ₹20 lakhs: 18% of the car’s price

Old Four-wheelers

• Cars below 5 years: 75% and 93% of the car’s price

• Cars 5 to 10 years: 49%-69% of the car's price

• Vehicles 10 to 15 years: 25% to 45% of the car's price

If someone disregards the traffic rules and regulations, the officials of Davanagere RTO will penalise the individual for the offence according to the traffic fines in Karnataka. Some of them include:

• Driving/Riding without a licence: ₹1000 to ₹5000

• Driving without a helmet: ₹500

• Racing on public roads: ₹1000 to ₹2000

• Driving without a seatbelt: ₹500

• Disobeying Authorities: ₹1000

• Blocking emergency vehicles: ₹1000

• Using mobile phones while driving: ₹1000 

• Misbehaving with a traffic police officer: ₹2000 

• Offences related to air or noise pollution: ₹1000 

Yes, it is mandatory to have motor insurance while you are driving on the streets. Otherwise, RTO officials of Davanagere will penalise a fine of ₹2000 for the first offence from the offenders and ₹4000 for the repetitive violation of this same act according to the Indian Road Rules.

According to a news report, 3 engineering students died and 1 injured in a road mishap heading towards Davangere when a speeding car rammed into a lorry coming from the opposite direction overtaking another vehicle. Again there was a report of a series of accidents that took place in Davanagere last year on 30th November 2022.

However, a report suggests that the volunteers of Davangere have started fixing potholes in accident-prone zones in the city themselves with their own funds after witnessing a lot of accidents. The residents of this city and from other parts of Karnataka and the overall country showered the volunteers with praises for this act.

As per recent news, a traffic park has been set up to create awareness of traffic rules among children, public and pedestrians in Davanagere. This will educate people about the road and traffic rules in the state.