What is Indian Motor Vehicle Act 1988?

Learn all about Indian Motor Vehicle Act

You remember, when we used to get very naughty our parents set some rules for the house? You do, right? So, there were strict rules and we were told if you will not adhere to these rules, either we will be grounded, or they will stop our pocket money and we immediately used to start following all their rules to continue enjoying the little joys of life.

Let’s assume our government here is like our parents back perhaps we’ve been very casual in our approach towards traffic rules, discipline, that they had to make some strict rules for us to follow, some grounding to be done and some fines to pay.

Let’s first understand what the Motor Vehicle Act is even, in the first place?

Team Digit

What is Motor Vehicle Act?

The Motor Vehicles Act was passed in the year 1988 and regulates almost all aspects of road transport vehicles. It provides detailed guidelines on licensing of the drivers and conductors, registration of motor vehicles, the provision on controlling their permits, traffic regulations, related insurances, liabilities, and penalties. The motor vehicle act makes it mandatory for any driver to have a valid driving licence and no vehicle can be driven without being registered under the motor vehicle act.

What are the offences covered under the Motor Vehicle Act?

Section under Motor Vehicle Act	Offence
Under section 3 r/w 181 Motor Vehicle Act	A person driving his vehicle without a valid licence
Under section 5 r/w 180 Motor Vehicle Act	A person allowing his vehicle to be driven by a person who does not have a valid licence
Under section 130(3) r/w 177 Motor Vehicle Act	A person not having all their relevant documents
Under section 130 r/w 177 Motor Vehicle Act	A person driving his vehicle without a valid insurance
Under section 130 r/w 177 Motor Vehicle Act	A person driving his vehicle without a valid permit
Under section 130 r/w 177 Motor Vehicle Act	A person driving his vehicle without a valid fitness
Under section 39 r/w 192 Motor Vehicle Act	A person without a valid R.C, for his vehicle
Under section 4 r/s 181 Motor Vehicle Act	A minor driving the vehicle
Under section 5 r/w 180 Motor Vehicle Act	Allowing an unauthorized person to drive
Under section 129 r/w 177 Motor Vehicle Act	A person riding without a helmet
Under section 138(3) CMVR 177 Motor Vehicle Act	A person driving his vehicle without fastening his seat belt
Under section 184 Motor Vehicle Act	A person found over-speeding and doing rash driving
Under section 112-183 Motor Vehicle Act	A person found doing hasty or dangerous driving
Under section 17(i) RRR 177 Motor Vehicle Act	A person driving in a one way against the way

There are various offences under the motor vehicle act for various scenarios which can be found on the government website in detail which relates to road offences, number plate related offences, vehicle light related offences, horn related offences, traffic signal related offences, speed and overtake related offences, offences related to pollution, offences related to condition of your vehicle, offences related to parking, etc.

What are the changes in the Motor Vehicle Act 2019?

There are significant changes in the new Motor Vehicle Act and driving errors are going to make a huge dent in your monthly budget and some of them may cost you the same or more than your monthly fuel bill. Here is a list of the important new motor vehicle laws:

Penalties- Some penalties are enhanced, and some new penalties are introduced. Check the complete list of new traffic fines.

Updated List of Traffic Fines for Different Violations in India

Violation	New Penalty from 1st Sept-2019	Old Penalty
Any general offence like illegal parking or improper number plate	₹ 500 (₹ 1500 for repeat offence)	₹ 100 (₹ 300 for repeat offence)
Driving/Riding without Licence	₹5,000 and/or community service	₹500
Driving/Riding Under the Influence of an Intoxicating Substance	₹10,000 and/or 6 months prison \| ₹15,000 and/or 2 years jail for repetitive violation.	₹2,000
Overspeeding	LMV: ₹1,000- ₹2,000 MPV/HPV: ₹2,000- ₹4,000 (+ licence seizure)	₹400
Driving without Seat Belt	₹1,000 and/or community service	₹100
Driving/Riding without Insurance	₹2,000 and/or 3-months prison, community service \| ₹4,000 for subsequent offence	₹1,000
Violating Road Regulations	₹500- ₹1000	₹100
Dangerous Driving/Riding and Jumping Red Light	₹1,000- ₹5,000 and/or 6-months to 1 year in prison, licence seizure	₹100 - ₹300
Driving/Riding While on the Mobile (Handheld)	₹5,000	₹1,000
Speeding, Racing	₹5,000 and/or 3-months prison, community service \| ₹10,000 for subsequent violation and up to 1 year in prison, community service	₹500
Not Giving Way to Emergency Vehicles like Ambulances, Fire Engines, etc.	₹10,000 and/or community service	₹500
Riding without Helmet (rider and pillion rider)	₹1000, and or licence disqualification, community service for 3-months	₹100
Overloading Two-Wheelers	₹2,000 and licence disqualification and/or 3-months of community service	₹100
Juvenile Offences	₹25,000 with 3-years prison, cancellation of registration for 1-year, juvenile ineligible for licence until 25 years of age.	-
Driving/Riding Despite Disqualification	₹10,000, and/or community service	₹500
Overboarding Passengers	₹200 for every extra passenger and/or community service	-
Driving/Riding without Ticket	₹500	₹200
Offence Committed by Enforcing Authorities Such as Offering Bribes	Twice the penalty (varies according to traffic rules violated)	-
Unauthorized Use of Vehicles Without Licence	₹1,000- ₹5,000	₹1,000
Disobedience of Orders of the Authorities	₹2,000	₹500
Vehicles without Permit	₹10,000 and/or up to 6-months prison, community service	Up to ₹5,000
Oversized Vehicles	₹5,000 to ₹10,000 and/or community service	-
Overloading	₹20,000 + ₹2,000 for every extra tonne and/or community service	₹2,000 + ₹1,000 for every extra tonne
Driving/Riding without Licence (for Aggregators)	₹25,000 to ₹1,00,000	-
Driving/Riding without Registration	₹5,000 \| ₹10,000 for subsequent offence	-
Using Horn in Silent Zone	₹2,000 \| ₹4,000 for subsequent offence	-

Why increase in the fine for breaking traffic rules?

We all have come across a person on the road who will try to turn a car around a full 180 degrees, in the middle of rush hour traffic, causing a long-lasting jam. Then a person who stops his car in the middle of the road for dropping someone and bidding goodbyes and also those who will overtake you from the right at high speed, aware that it isn’t safe to do that and of course, there are many who never wear seat belts. Traffic rules are for all these people, and they are best in breaking these rules.

Increase in the fine is for such people to be conscious all the time on the road and so that they know if they will break the rule now it will be a big jolt on their pocket.

Drive responsibly and save your pocket 😊