[Rehaan]

The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Oscar Fernandes is pushing to get the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) Amendment bill passed in the coming Parliament session. The amendment bill has already been cleared by the Rajya Sabha.


If the proposed bill is passed by Parliament, the following changes will come into effect:

• Fines for serious traffic offences (like speeding and drunk driving) will increase to almost 10 times their current penalty.

• Compensation for death resulting from a hit and run accident will be raised to Rs 1 lakh (previously Rs. 25,000). Compensation for grievous injury will be raised to Rs 50,000 (previously Rs. 12,500). Note that these figures are only for the 'hit and run' category.

• Retro reflective tapes on bicycles have been suggested as standard to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) by the Ministry of Road Transport, in the hopes that all manufacturers will use these tapes.

• Free reflective tapes are already being provided for about 10 lakh bicycles by the Delhi Traffic Police along with International Road Federation (IRF). This project will soon be taken to other metros including Bangalore & Trivandrum.

• Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) will soon be implemented as a pilot project by the Delhi Traffic police. They are currently awaiting Rs 400 crore promised to them by MoRTH.

• “Getting encouraged from the introduction of the e-Challan system in Delhi and adoption of technology by our policemen, we have planned to lunch ITMS in the capital. This will help in increasing our challans as there are currently 10,000 traffic violations [challans] per day. Actual violations are about 50,000 per day. With adoption of new technology the challan revenue generated is expected to go up to Rs 800 to Rs 1000 crore from the current Rs 50 crore per annum.” - Mr Taj Hassan, Special Commissioner, Traffic, Delhi Police.

• The ITMS is also said to help optimize traffic lights to about 99.9 per cent with minimal faults, enabling the Police personel to regulate more traffic.

• The theme of this year’s Road Safety awareness is “When on road, always say Pehle Aap” [Translated: You first].

• Road fatalities were exceptionally high in India and over 1.38 lakh people were killed in around 4.9 lakh road accidents in 2012.

• Older discussion on the changes made in 2011: link

All information via their press release.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Oscar Fernandes is pushing to get the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) Amendment bill passed in the coming Parliament session...

If the proposed bill is passed by Parliament, the following changes will come into effect:

I hope this get clears soon.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

...• Fines for serious traffic offences (like speeding and drunk driving) will increase to almost 10 times their current penalty.

I love the first one - should reduce the numbers by a good margin. Even taking a taxi should work out cheaper than paying the fine.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

...
• Compensation for death resulting from a hit and run accident will be raised to Rs 1 lakh (previously Rs. 25,000). Compensation for grievous injury will be raised to Rs 50,000 (previously Rs. 12,500). Note that these figures are only for the 'hit and run' category.

Genuine question :: If we hit and do NOT run, this is NOT applicable? And is this amount given by the insurance company?

[racer_ash]

Thanks for the info. AFAIK, some of these initiatives have already begun in Hyderabad.

• Fines have been increased to Rs 1000 for even small offences like not stopping before STOP line.

• Intelligent Traffic Management System in the form of Hyderabad Integrated Traffic Management system (H-TRIMS) is already piloted at major junctions in Hyderabad.

• e-challans are extremely popular in Hyderabad and Cyberabad. You can even view them and pay them online. Most e-challans have photographs for proof of violations. Traffic police also have digi-cams through which they can take photographs of violaters then and there.

Good move IMHO. People seriously need harsh rules and most improtantly, strict enforcement in order to fall in line.

[zalaps]

If you can not educate road safety to people.
Mandate safety features.
For every variant of vehicle ABS & Airbags must be fitted.

[amit_purohit20]

I am more worried about the misuse of these large fines, that means more money going in the pocket of traffic policemen.

[honeybee]

Surprised to see most of these are sensible changes.

But then it's the implementation which will be the key part.

[Daewood]

Wish they ban accesories like bull bars in street legal cars.

[sdp1975]

Today I jumped a red light because of the chaotic traffic situation. Noticed the red light almost on the middle of the road, couldn't stop half way through , got fined 100 bucks.

Maybe these folks amending the laws should first try improving the traffic infrastructure . And what about the bullock carts , horses ,cyclists and unruly pedestrians ? I guess the rules apply only to motorized vehicles , not for other users of the roads.

Just another way of earning revenues like road tax, nothing more really.

And if the fines are too steep, there will be people contesting it in court than paying up. And this will encourage more bribery with traffic cops as well. And when the truck driver pays a 3k fine, he's going to recover it by hiking his transportation rates - ie indirectly it will hit my and your pocket, and in inflation .

[MavericK46]

So doing 60kph on a motorcycle (Amounts to speeding in Bangalore as the speed limit is 50kph) is gonna cost say 3k?
And this is a major traffic offence?

Time to bin the motor and stick to a cycle if that's the case !

Cheers !

Sundar

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

• The theme of this year’s Road Safety awareness is “When on road, always say Pehle Aap” [Translated: You first].

The most significant attitude changer - appeal to one's sense of Lucknow-i-Tehzeeb.
The real question is what is the incentive?
When I was a child there used to be an oft seen advertisement by DTP on the road. One motorist, waving another motorist on, at an intersection where both reach together.
Times were slower then.
People are more cynical/aggressive/intolerant now.
It's a pipe dream for the government to expect polite behaviour from a motorist living in today's dog-eat-dog world, and to invest money on ads to try encourage a dead flame to rise again.

Sorry to be so cynical. But in urban India - specially New Delhi- the Lucknow-i-Tehzeeb is long dead
:(

[nitinralli]

I would have loved if they would have added a rule for cyclist/pedestrians. Ban on HEADPHONES while riding/walking. This is a serious hazard. And then when a car hits them, people start harassing car driver without realizing the fault of the pedestrian.

[hellmet]

These amendments aren't enough. This is too little to make a difference to the chaos on our roads. For the lakhs of lives lost over decades due to their own or someone else's fault, this is not "better late than never" !

[amit_purohit20]

Amendments required on priority for highways are:
1) Make it a strict rule to follow lane discipline and fine heavily for it. Trucks and all slow vehicles should be fined heavily to drive on divider side lane.
2) No overtaking from wrong side.This will make all the vehicles behind the slow moving trucks and rickshaws to force them to leave their favourite divider lane.
3) No wrong direction traffic allowed and infact jail such people who come from in the wrong directions with their headlights on.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

I am more worried about the misuse of these large fines, that means more money going in the pocket of traffic policemen.

With the advent of technology such as Intelligent Traffic Management Systems and Bangalore Traffic police initiatives, most of the offences are caught on camera, recorded and e-challans are issued. The offence is viewed on line and fine is paid online. so actually with the present initiatives, the local traffic policeman has much lesser possibility to take a bribe.
It takes time, but slowly I guess technology will help the traffic department to get better of this bribe menace.

Originally Posted by zalaps

If you can not educate road safety to people.
Mandate safety features.
For every variant of vehicle ABS & Airbags must be fitted.

true, but the technology also costs money and this will jack the prices of automobiles up. I read somewhere that from 2015 or 16, ABS is going to be mandatory in all vehicles. Airbags are fine in 4 wheelers but the majority of the victims on road are 2 wheelers and pedestrians. Safety features + awareness / education / road manners is needed

Originally Posted by honeybee

Surprised to see most of these are sensible changes.

But then it's the implementation which will be the key part.

I remember when once I was stopped in Bangalore on ORR for speeding (unfortunately I was just a shade above the 60Kmph limit) and the police checked my car history in their website if there were any pending fines with my car. There were none and I had to pay Rs. 300/- for speeding. so with technology playing a major part ( thousands of ccTV cameras/ Black Berrys deployed with the constables to check the history) I think slowly implementation will fall in line slowly.

Originally Posted by sdp1975

Today I jumped a red light because of the chaotic traffic situation. Noticed the red light almost on the middle of the road, couldn't stop half way through , got fined 100 bucks.

Maybe these folks amending the laws should first try improving the traffic infrastructure . And what about the bullock carts , horses ,cyclists and unruly pedestrians ? I guess the rules apply only to motorized vehicles , not for other users of the roads.

Just another way of earning revenues like road tax, nothing more really.

And if the fines are too steep, there will be people contesting it in court than paying up. And this will encourage more bribery with traffic cops as well. And when the truck driver pays a 3k fine, he's going to recover it by hiking his transportation rates - ie indirectly it will hit my and your pocket, and in inflation .

No sdp1975, this will not lead to inflation. Fines need to be too steep to create fear and then awareness and then compliance. The police armed with the ccTVs will have the footage and contesting in court is only a waste of time and court levies a higher fine than that on the road ( I have seen instances in that regard). and If a truck driver pays a 3K fine, next time onwards he will be extra careful ( and who knows many life on the road may be saved by such careful driving).

I read in some scripture that there are 4 ways to solve a issue- Sama, Dhaana, Bedha and Danda. Sama is telling nicely / advising, Dhaana is by offering some incentives / rebates / bonus to do things right, Bedha is dividing / creating a rift/ this is better than that/ doing this is good than that way /illusion/deceit and stuff like that and danda is using the stick. Unfortunately in India, the people understand only the sound of a whip / stick to fall in line and nice words fall on deaf ears and if that is the only way to make people understand so be it and that is what is happening with heavy fines now.

Originally Posted by MavericK46

So doing 60kph on a motorcycle (Amounts to speeding in Bangalore as the speed limit is 50kph) is gonna cost say 3k?
And this is a major traffic offence?

Yes. it is a major traffic offence. We all know the traffic speed limits are all outdated, but if the traffic department have their way, it is a major traffic offence. rather a traffic offence ( Major and Minor are our interpretations on the repercussions of breaking the law to the extent of damage it does monetarily and physically) But otherwise all are just traffic offences and all could possibly lead and result in some fatal / serious mishaps if not adhered to.

Originally Posted by nitinralli

I would have loved if they would have added a rule for cyclist/pedestrians. Ban on HEADPHONES while riding/walking. This is a serious hazard. And then when a car hits them, people start harassing car driver without realizing the fault of the pedestrian.

Yes. very true. jaywalking has to made an offence too. But again only proper education can help in this regard.

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

The real question is what is the incentive?
(

Incentive in my opinion is better behaviour (peace) on road/lesser chaos / lesser road rage / better lane discipline / less traffic jams . I think that is incentive enough to be a better motorist on road.

I say this because, if every person chided / mocked our system and drove carelessly / recklessly / stupidly , and nobody even tried to do their little bit to be a better motorist on road, then the situation will only become worse.

On my part, I cannot change the system, but the least I can do is to drive carefully, follow rules, give respect to others on road, honk as little as possible (even if it meant that I arrive a bit late at destination or have to wait longer in the traffic) I feel I have done my bit and if all of us do our little bit, we should have a peaceful happy motorist on every Indian road.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by amit_purohit20

....

• The theme of this year’s Road Safety awareness is “When on road, always say Pehle Aap” [Translated: You first]. ..

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

The most significant attitude changer - appeal to one's sense of Lucknow-i-Tehzeeb...

The Indian version on road would ideally translate to "Pehle Aap brake karo" (Translated:: You first brake!)