Penalties under Motor Vehicles Act cut in Karnataka

Yielding to public demand, the Karnataka government on Saturday announced a cut in penalties for traffic violations under the amended Motor Vehicles (MV) Act.

The government issued a notification revising the fines that need to be collected for various traffic violations.

There has been severe criticism to the 'hefty fine' from sections of the public, with many arguing that the government should first provide good road infrastructure.

Some sections opposed the move to slash the amount, saying there was a drastic improvement in motorists following the rules after hefty penalties were imposed.

Fines have been slashed for various violations.

For driving at excessive speed, the fine has been reduced from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,000 for two-wheelers, three-wheelers and light motor vehicles (LMVs) while the penalty for the rest has been reduced from Rs 4,000 to Rs 2,000.

Fine for violation of safety measures for motorcycle riders and pillion riders has been reduced from Rs 1,000 to Rs 500, while penalty for not wearing protective headgear and failure to use safety belts and seating of children has been reduced from Rs 1,000 to Rs 500.

For driving uninsured vehicle the fine earlier was Rs 2,000 for the first offence, Rs 4,000 for second and subsequent offence, which has now been reduced to Rs 1,000 for two- and three-wheelers, Rs 2,000 for LMVs and Rs 4,000 for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and others.

For driving vehicles exceeding permissible weight, the fine has been reduced to Rs 5,000 for overloading and Rs 2,000 for every additional tonne of excess load together with the liability to pay charges for off-loading of the excess load.

Earlier it was Rs 20,000 and Rs 2,000 for every additional tonne of excess load together with the liability to pay charges for offloading of the excess load.

Using vehicles without permit/violation of permit conditions the fine earlier was Rs 10,000 for the first offence, Rs 10,000 for the second and subsequent offence.

It is now Rs 5,000 for the first offence, Rs 10,000 for the second and subsequent offence.

Following the public outcry, and after the Gujarat government announced a drastic cut in penalties for traffic violations, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had also said it would be implemented in the state also.

The BJP-ruled Gujarat government had announced the drastic cut even as the Centre was justifying the steep fine amount.

On July 31, Parliament had passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019, seeking to tighten road traffic rules like issuance of driving licence and imposing of stricter penalties for violations in an effort to improve road safety.

Higher traffic penalties came into effect in most states from September 1.