Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2019

India has a record for the highest number of road accidents. Yes, Even leaving China behind in this regard. According to the statistics extended by the Ministry for Road Transport and Highways in 2017, about 5 lakh road accidents occur every day, leading to the death of about 1.5 lakh people. This number indeed cannot be overlooked. Thereby, to amend this road menace, the central government brought in the Motor Vehicles Act in 2019. Let us walk through its key features and all you need to know about the violation of road rules. 

Motor Vehicles Act (Amendment) 2019

The features of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill 2019 are an invigorated version of the previous Act on road safety. The constitution of India is undoubtedly both flexible and rigid. Article 368 is one of the most flexible features of the constitution. The consequence of this flexibility was the creation of the Motor Vehicles Act in 2019, which was an amendment of the earlier Act in 1988. 

This Act was brought into effect on 1st September 2019, making the rules stringent for lawbreakers. The strictness aims at bringing about a change in the people who have the habit of breaking road rules. 

(Image will be uploaded soon)

Objectives of the Motor Vehicles Amendment

As more steps are being taken towards urbanization, this has led to increased traffic and the probability of accidents. In the present day, almost every household has at least one vehicle. So, to manage the traffic rules and efficiency of how people go about on the road, The Indian government made these rules. This Act's principal aim is to maintain road safety, third-party insurance, and maintaining vehicle health. 

Features of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 

The critical features taken into consideration under this Act devised in 2019 are as follows:

Health of Road and Environment:

If the vehicle is unfit for use on roads, it needs to be returned directly to the manufacturer. Following this, the manufacturer has two choices. One of them is to either take the vehicle back while the other is to repair the defects. 

Road Safety:

Under this provision, new Motor Vehicles Act fines are increased. For all those offending the traffic rules, they need to pay a higher penalty amount than before. More stringent actions are taken towards drunken driving, juvenile drinking, overloading, overspeeding, and even not having a license. Furthermore, the Act has also introduced a new fine for drunk and drive.Alongside this, those people not using helmets will also be fined and punished strictly. 

Vehicle Fitness:

Automated testing provisions will be made to do a fitness check of the vehicles under this amendment. Automation also takes into consideration the ones who deliberately violate the safety regulations. It is done considering road safety and removing the unfit vehicles. 

This amendment also includes the certification of automobiles after their testing is completed successfully. The Motors Vehicles amendment also suggests setting standards and issuing automotive approvals under this Act. 

National Road Safety Board:

Under this, a national board for road safety had to be set up under the central government. This board must advise the governments across all states for traffic management and devising the road safety processes. 

Compensation for Road Accident Victims:

For the victims of road accidents, special provisions have been made for a golden hour. It is the time from one hour in which the accident occurs. During this period, the chances of survival of an individual are also high if provided with the proper treatment. The government has also worked to make this whole process cashless. 

Good Samaritan Protection:

Under this Act, a samaritan is an individual who helps out a road accident victim right after any mishap or tragedy takes place. For their kindness, often, these people get harassed. To protect them, the government has made provisions. The government protects them from any criminal or civil proceedings. 

Compulsory Insurance:

Under this, the union government needs to establish the Motor Vehicles Accident Fund. The fund aims to provide insurance compulsorily to all drivers across the nation. 

Taxi Aggregators:

Under this, the bill defines them as intermediaries. Wherein a digital platform is used to connect the drivers with passengers. They are also required to follow the rules and regulations under the Information Technology Act, 2000. 

National Transportation Policy:

The central government devises this policy by collaborating with all other state governments. Under this policy, a framework is structured for the road transport process. 

Driver's Training:

The drivers will be trained beforehand to make the roads safer for everyone, making the license issuing process seamless and faster. This amendment is brought into action considering the low number of commercial drivers across the country. 

National Register for Vehicle Registration and Driving License:

The national register is maintained to integrate the issuing process of driving licenses with the registration of vehicles. This will further be accompanied by the online portals, namely 'Vahan' and 'Sarathi.' This process ensures a seamless and uniform system of licenses along with vehicle registration. 

Online Driving Licenses:

This Act also makes a provision to issue the learner's license online. But, this is only possible by mandatorily providing identity verification. The identity verification criterion further eliminates any issues of fake licenses and improves the efficiency of the process. 

Alongside improving transparency of processes, the commercial licenses are provided for an extended period of up to 5 years instead of the usual three years. 

Motor Vehicles Accident Fund:

All drivers are provided with the motor vehicles accident fund to provide insurance for the vehicles compulsorily. This fund will help in the compensation of legal heirs and on-road victims. 

Better Insurance Facilities:

Under this, the driver's attendants have to be included in third-party insurance. The provision will lead to about a ten percent increase in compensation with the insurance companies. Alongside, the government has made provisions that if the victim's family agrees to get a five lakh compensation, they will get it in a month. 

As such, to avoid the new Motor Vehicles Act fines, it is imperative to follow all safety measures. 

To summarise, these proposed changes in the motor vehicles act are a step toward improving the transportation system of India.