[redCherry]

Voted Yes.

I would like to see the fines increased steeply for
1. Riding on Footpath - People who are familiar with HAL Airport Road & Kundalahalli Junction will vouch for this
2. Driving on wrong side

[xway]

Voted Yes - All of a sudden there are long queues outside PUC testing centers, helmet sales have grown 500%, rush to get licenses, number plates being fixed. This all has never happened before.

People have reasons to not follow rules like bad roads, potholes, poor infrastructure, street lights, malfunctioning signals, but all are lame excuses.
If at all infrastructure is so bad than it makes double sense to follow the rules so that not to make things more dangerous.

So drunk driving without license at dangerous speed without insurance whether its on bad road or good road does not matter but surely is not an excuse to put others lives at risk. Its like saying since I have bad liver from birth I will drink more as its already bad not knowing that it makes it even more dangerous.

Instead people should drive well and extremely cautiously to fill up for the shortcomings of bad infrastructure rather than competing to break rules and keep up with bad roads.

Media is playing tunes showing how some poor one got fined thousands to create a negative atmosphere not mentioning how the fines came to because of breaking all the laws of the book. In NCR people display caste boards and no numbers on vehicles making open mockery of law.

People and public sympathize that how will poor people pay fines, not realizing that there is no fine if you have license and drive properly.
Unnecessary media hype and public outcry is being built, whereas its a straight case of breaking law.

Its absurd for public to say that they want "affordable" fines, so that they can break law and afford it in their income and budget. Next what they will ask for lesser punishments for rapists / murderers so that they too can afford it.

To conclude the fines are still less and can never compensate for someone who lost a dear one to a minor driving SUV or someone run over by drunk driving.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by redCherry

I would like to see the fines increased steeply for
1. Riding on Footpath 2. Driving on wrong side

I think these two offenses are the worst, after drunk driving, and are on par with signal jumping and rash driving. All of these directly endanger other road user's lives. Hope they amend the law in the next round and mandate jail time or at least vehicle seizure for these four offenses.

[Kumarhithendra]

My reaction is mixed. Yes, the fines are needed to deter the offenders, but isn't enforcement also crucial? However steep or low the fines are, it's successful only when the enforcement is stringent.
I have seen near the Corporation signal in Bangalore where the cops are lurking, everyone is seen wearing a helmet. Near Silk Board junction, we refer to Lake Road where two-wheeler riders rushing on the footpath or riding on the wrong side to reach the signal and when a cop is present at the other end, they tend to get down on the road or turn around to use an alternate road.
It's the mindset of the people that needs to change.
As it has become steep now, the bribe also is steep. Hence the drama. Earlier, the same offenders would have paid Rs. 50 and gotten away and now the minimum would be Rs. 500.

[KrisTvpm]

Voted Yes!

Albeit shamefully, have to admit that undersigned have not been a well-informed/disciplined driver in those bygone days when "jawaani ki josh" ruled over prudence. Have done many a foolish thing while riding 2wheelers/driving cars that I wince when thinking back over them.

Two of the most prominent ones, and how I overcame those:

• Drunken driving: Used to ride 2wheeler back home after occasional office parties, usually once in a quarter or so. Knowledge of bylanes helped dodge the mamus. Used to do this until one friend was caught at the wee hours while travelling along with his wife/kid in car after a booze party, fined, made to send family back home along with a policeman, asked to spend overnight in thana, suspended DL for some time etc.! That did the trick for me, after that incident (circa 2010) have never used personal vehicle after consuming liquor.

• Driving car without seatbelt on, having kid sit on lap, kids/backseat passengers without seatbelt -- though this didn't stop because of fines/fear of law enforcement, some stints abroad and youtube videos showing gory details did the trick.

Again, shamefully admit: we (not ALL, but MOST) are an inherently undisciplined lot, who will toe the line of law only if/when there's a fear of it. Even so, there'd be people who will use their contacts/influence and bend the law's hands just to save some money and show 'em who's the boss.

Whether we have adequate infra/roads to drive/ride on - is a separate point. Have a friend who proudly bragged been driving without DL/insurance/tax payment/RC book/card for years together! Don't think it was as a protest to govt authorities for not providing him congestion-free smooth roads, even with such facilities he'd have done the same. Now he frantically takes DL/insurance etc.

As an added/counter measure, the PWD/authorities must also be brought under such ambit of law-- if a road/bridge gets damaged within unreasonable time, they must pay hefty fines and repair the infra without compensation !? Not sure if I'm daydreaming / this'd happen only in Utopia!

[humyum]

I misunderstood the question initially, so voted No, but Yes, it would stop offenders.

Although, I am against imposing any big fines until the corruption is rooted out. In a corrupt enforcement has ours, any big fine is just a way to loot the population to take bribes even when offences are not committed, its like leaving the population to the wolves!

First solve the problem of corruption and then start with the fines, I am okay with that.

[madroxx]

I have voted YES.

But not really sure for how long it will help. The problem with our country is not strict laws, its about implementation of the law. The cops are actively booking offenders now because the rule has been passed recently and they want to show that it is being implemented. But after a few month down the lane the cops tend to become lethargic and start to take offenses lightly. They either let the offenders go by taking bribe or simply start booking them at the end of the month when they fall short of achieving their targets.
I'm from Chennai and recently our city got CCTV cameras all over the city. Though people are aware about the CCTV I still see that nothing has changed when it comes to following the traffic rule. Still people don't stop at traffic lights, use the wrong side of road and cross the line while stopping at a red light. It is because they know that they will not be fined. So unless the law is implemented all days alike nothing is going to change.

[Neo18]

Voted yes, but the solution to the issue is not straight forward.
As with most things in India, the issue is not with new legislation, that is the east part, rather it is the enforcement of the legislation, where all intentions fall apart.

Let me play the Devil's advocate here.Our Babus want to levy higher fine with the noble intention of reducing traffic related deaths. The comparison of fines was with those in Singapore in a recent newspaper article. BUT, has our administration provided us with Singapore level of Road and public infrastructure?What about Deaths due to bad roads? Is there a way to identify these type of road accidents? What is the Government's plan to fix the ever widening pot holes and craters in Bangalore?

Also, I have to side with the public who are right in protesting that in the process of enforcing these stricter rules, it is anybody's guess whose coffers are getting full, the Government or the personal coffers of the enforcers?

[avisidhu]

It's an unambiguous Yes, but here's a suggestion:

The fines collected should be pooled in a state level 'Transport Safety Fund'. Make this amount transparent in terms of amount collected, types of fines and cities/spots where maximum incidents are recorded etc. Same info should be displayed for accident figures as well.

Then use this fund to buy CCTV cameras for every nook and corner of the state, prioritizing the worst spots. Leaving the enforcement to policemen is where most issues arise, and everyone rightly thinks that these hefty fines are never going to get utilized properly, hence the signalling here is of prime importance.

Hopefully, the data should show substantial reduction in both infractions as well as accidents recorded in a short span. This initiative might help stem the protests and push back currently being encountered.

This may seem like a tall order, but honestly looking at the progress made by govt. agencies in migrating so many services and information to the digital realm, it's not such a big ask.

PS: On a recent trip from Agra to Chandigarh, I took the YEW, then went through Delhi, and then the NH1. In all 3 stretches, the compliance with speed limits was easily 95%. It was surreal to see everyone in Delhi sticking to 60kmph limits. Another few weeks to go for fog/smog, and such traffic behavior will definitely cut down accidents drastically. I am now fully convinced that the fines should be persisted with.

[bharatbits]

Originally Posted by CarMind

On a separate instance, this weekend, a Zoomato rider on his bike was waiting on the signal on the absolute right side of a non-divided road and giving hard time to traffic movement coming from opposite side. When it was my turn, i asked him to shift in his lane. That was all required for him to hit my car with his bare hands as i passed by him. As i was with family and kid, didn't stopped to counter him there. Now one, he is surely following the rules wearing helmet and waiting at a signal, but on the other hand, showing violence in response to a genuine request!! Does this calls for a challan too?

In such cases i just stand still no honking, no talking, no trying to turn as if i am a newbie driver not knowing how to cut and zip through. Just fiddle with the steering and obstruct the traffic behind as well. The traffic behind does the job of honking, abusing and hurling cuss words at the biker/ cab/ auto to clear the path and move him off the road. Traffic behind thinks i am a newbie driver as well. As soon as i get a clear path i zip off. Offlate my Linea has started to smoke as well.

[lnreddy]

Voted YES!!!
Why are we complaining about fines? If we follow rules which are meant for our own safety we don't have to PAY

[ShivrajG]

Voted Yes!

There should be a fear of law then only people will avoid breaking it. The "Chalta hai" attitude has taken its root in our society so deeply that it had to be shoved out by such means.
Nobody is a saint in this country and I have also done my part of the law breaking in the past (Young and foolish). This act if implemented across the country will be a driving factor in road discipline in our country.

I have May 2019 Registered Nexon Diesel and it didnt occur to me to get a PUC while coming from MH to KA and was waiting for my next trip to Pune in November 2019, Also I read somewhere that PUC is not required for a new car for 1 year ? is that right ? if not I must hurry up to PUC in KA itself

[The Observer]

Voted Yes. It will deter but will not eliminate for sure. Also this step by itself is not enough.

The consequences ( penalization) should not be focused only on road users but expanded to cover infrastructure providers, regulators & enforcers also, i.e. the entire ecosystem should be brought under the ambit and scrutinized. eg., RTO's that hand out licenses for money. Toll Road operators who care two hoots about proper road design and maintenance. Jaywalkers, people who herd cattle on our highways, break pumpkins on highways for religious purposes and leave it there etc.,

We can see a big queue in getting emission certificate in Bangalore and surge in people opting to use public transport as the papers for their private vehicles are not in order. But will the govt also check the emission testing centers for authenticity? I can tell you there are quite a few emission testing centers who issue certificates without any tests.

Second what is the penalty for designing unsafe roads? For not maintaining roads which result in accidents? What about mindless politicians erecting hoardings? What about challenging and penalizing businesses like Ola/Uber/Zomato/Swiggy etc., where their cars/delivery boys blatantly drive wrong side, cut lanes, drive fast to ensure their businesses get a good rating.

Also will our burdened legal system be able to handle the cases should more people choose to challenge the Traffic Police on violations ( we all know our traffic Police are also corrupt, do not always have accurate methods or equipment).

Finally what about manufacturers of vehicles and equipment that provide less than reliable braking systems, low quality tires etc.,. Also will Team BHP flag ,remove and alert authorities if Dash cam videos are posted wherein they are driving above speed limits? / reviews where our people boast on driving/reaching triple digit speeds with ease etc.,

We really need a concerted effort IMHO to make our roads much safer.

[ferrarirules]

Voted Big Big Yes!!!

For one and only one reason, in our country people are only act out of fear not out of basic common sense. As the famous saying goes "LAATON ke BHOOT BAATON SE NAHI MANATE".

All those voting "NO" and talking about enforcement. Please remember that if the fine is Rs. 100, i won't mind getting caught and paying it. If fine is 10 times that Rs. 1000, I will think twice about committing that offense with or without enforcement. Why is that because I cannot predict who will catch me where and when. But i know if i get caught, I will be doomed.

[aniyo]

I think instead of taking fines, police should seize the vehicles for a month or so. Make them run around multiple offices to pay fine and then release the car.
People today have money but no time. Taking away the vehicle will cause much more pain than just fines.

Else fines should be on the value of the car and not absolute. Like x% of car or 10,000 whichever is higher