New Motor Vehicle Rules 2019: What is the new fine for driving without license

New Delhi, Aug 29: New Motor Vehicles Rules 2019 will come into force from September 1 and the fine for driving without a license would go up from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 which is almost 10 times. The new legislation provides for stricter punishment for various traffic-related offences as well as higher penalties.

Driving license is a document that permits individuals to operate or drive a motorised vehicle such as a car, motorbike, truck, bus, etc. There are different types of licenses depending on the kind of vehicle it permits to drive on public roads such as - Motorcycles without gear, Motorcycles with gear, Commercial Heavy Vehicles and Transport Vehicles and General Requirement. driving licence is issued by the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) or Regional Transport Office (RTO) of that particular state.

To obtain a license, there are set tests to be passed after which RTO grants license. If a person drives without license, it means he has not passed the tests and this poses a risk not only to the person who commits the offence but also to others on the road. For this reason, the fine has been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 for this offence so that it prevents people from breaking this law.

Pertaining to change in this particular section, the Gazzette of India states, in section 181 of the principal Act, for the words "which may extend to five hundred rupees", the words "of five thousand rupees" shall be substituted.

The penalties were increased due to the sharp increase in road accident in recent years. Road accidents in India killed between 1.46 lakh and 1.5 lakh people every year between 2015 and 2017. Among vehicle categories involved in road accidents, two-wheelers accounted for the highest share (33.9%) in total accidents and fatalities (29.8%) in 2017.

Penalty for dangerous driving would be increased to Rs 5,000 from Rs 1,000, while drunken driving under the proposed new law would attract a fine of Rs 10,000.