Traffic violations in India are listed out in the Motor Vehicle Act of 1988. The state government has the rights to decide on the officials who are to do traffic rule enforcement and how traffic citations are issued. Generally the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) and Traffic Police (which is part of the general law and order police force) are allowed to book traffic violations. Officers of and above the rank of Asst. Motor Vehicle Inspector (A.MVI) and Sub-Inspector in charge of the Traffic Police wing have the right to levy on-the-spot fines from the violators. This is known as compounding an offence. Fines would be paid on the spot and a Challan (receipt) would be given to the driver. Off late officers on Highway Police duty are also authorised to levy spot fines.
So here are the new traffic Fines Amended in 2019 and came into effect on September 2019.
If you’re caught driving without insurance, the existing penalty of Rs.1,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months has been increased to Rs.2,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for the first-time offence and Rs.4,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for the second-time offence.
Following is the list of violations and their corresponding traffic fines and imprisonment terms.
| Offence | New Penalty (From September 2019) | Old Penalty |
| General | First-Time Offence: Rs.500 Second-Time Offence: Rs.1,500 | First-Time Offence: Rs.100 Second-Time Offence: Rs.300 |
| Violation of Road Rules | Rs.500 to Rs.1,000 | Nil |
| Ticket less Travel | Rs.500 | Rs.200 |
| Disobeying orders from the Authorities and Refusing to Share Information | Rs.2,000 | Rs.500 |
| Driving an Unauthorized Vehicle without License | Rs.5,000 | Rs.1,000 |
| Driving Without License | Rs.5,000 | Rs.500 |
| Driving Regardless of Disqualification | Rs.10,000 | Rs.500 |
| Over-Speeding | Light Motor Vehicle: Rs.1,000 to Rs.2,000 Medium Passenger or Goods Vehicle: Rs.2,000 to Rs.4,000 and impounding of DL for the Subsequent or Second-Time Offence. | Rs.400 |
| Dangerous / Rash Driving | First-Time Offence: Imprisonment of 6 Months to 1 Year and/or Fine of Rs.1,000 to Rs.5,000 Second-Time Offence: Imprisonment of up to 2 years and/or Fine up to Rs.10,000. | Nil |
| Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Intoxicating Substance | First-Time Offence: Rs.10,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 6 months. Second-Time Offence: Rs.15,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 2 years. | Rs.2,000 |
| Oversized Vehicles | Rs.5,000 | Nil |
| Driving When Mentally/Physically Unfit | First-Time Offence: Rs.1,000 Second-Time Offence: Rs.2,000 | First-Time Offence:Rs.200 Second-Time Offence:Rs.500 |
| Accident Related Offences | First-Time Offence: Rs.5,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 6 months. Second-Time Offence: Rs,10,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 1 Year. | Nil |
| Driving Uninsured Vehicle (without Insurance) | First-Time Offence: Rs.2,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 3 months. Second-Time Offence: Rs.4,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 3 months. | Rs.1,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 3 months. |
| Racing and Speeding | First-Time Offence: Rs.5,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 3 months. Second-Time Offence: Rs.10,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 1 year. | Rs.500 |
| Vehicle Without Permit | Rs.10,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 6 months. | Up to Rs.5,000 |
| Aggregators (Violations of Licensing Conditions) | Rs.25,000 to Rs.1 lakh | Nil |
| Overloading | Rs.20,000 and Rs.2,000 per extra tonne | Rs.2,000 and Rs.1,000 per extra tonne |
| Overloading of Passengers | Rs.1,000 per extra passenger | Nil |
| Not Wearing Seatbelt | Rs.1,000 | Rs.100 |
| Overloading of Two-Wheelers | Rs.2,000 and Disqualification of License for 3 months | Rs.100 |
| Not Wearing Helmet | Rs.1,000 and Disqualification of License for 3 months | Rs.100 |
| Not Providing Way for Emergency Vehicles | Rs.10,000 and/or Imprisonment of 6 months | Nil |
| Offences by Juveniles | Rs.25,000 with Imprisonment of 3 years for which the Guardian / Owner shall be deemed to be guilty. | Nil |
| Power of Officers to Impound Documents | Suspension of DL under Section 183, 184, 185, 189, 190, 194C, 194D, 194E | Nil |
| Offences Committed by Enforcing Officers | Double the Penalty under Relevant Section | Nil |
Driving under the influence of an intoxicating substance is a serious crime. Chances of damage and injuries increase exponentially when a driver is not alert of his/her surroundings while driving. It is dangerous not only for the driver but also to co-passengers and others present on the road. Thus, the fine amount depends on the level of intoxicating substance present in the blood. Drinking alcohol and driving a vehicle are common occurrences, here is the list of traffic police fines for the same:
Alcohol Levels | New Penalty | Old Penalty |
| Exceeding 30 mg per 100 ml of Blood | First-Time Offence: Rs.10,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 6 months. Second-Time Offence: Rs.15,000 and/or Imprisonment of up to 2 years | Rs.2,000 |
1) Driving Without License:
The fine for driving with a DL has been increased by 10 times from the old penalty of Rs.500 to now Rs.5,000.
2) Driving Without Insurance:
Through the amendment of the New MV Act 2019, the penalty has been increased from Rs.1,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months to Rs.2,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for the first-time offence and Rs.4,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for the second-time offence.
3) Driving Regardless of Disqualification:
The penalty for driving despite disqualification has been hiked from Rs.500 to Rs.10,000 emphasising on repeated offence.
4) Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Intoxicating Substance:
If you’re caught for drink and drive, get ready to pay a hefty fine of Rs.10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months for the first-time offence and if you’re caught for the second-time for the same offence, the fine is Rs.15,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 2 years.
5) Not Wearing Helmet:
The traffic fine for riding a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet is Rs.1,000, up from old penalty of Rs.100.
6) Racing and Speeding:
The penalty has been increased from Rs.500 to Rs.5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 3 months for the first-time offence, while for the second-time offence, the fine is Rs.10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 1 year.
7) Offences by Juveniles:
While there was no penalty for this type of offence, the New MV (Amendment) Act, 2019 imposes a fine of Rs.25,000 with imprisonment of 3 years for which the owner or the guardian shall be deemed guilty.
8) Offences Committed by Enforcing Officers:
While there was no penalty for this offence, the new fine is double the penalty under the relevant section.
9) Having Two Driving Licence is an Offence:
If you are found having more than two driving licences, probably issued from different states, you will be penalized. Effective 1 October 2019, the Central Government has mandated that DLs and (Registration Certificates) RCs issued by all states and union territories will be identical in design, colour, and security features.
Going forward, all driving licences will have a smart chip, which can be accessed by the traffic police through a QR code. Details of the driver such as name, blood group, address, history of past violations, etc. Will be available in the smart chip. This smart chip on your DL will have information stored for 10 years.
By – Aravind K.
