Fines for first time traffic offenders may not be too high
According to the draft for the Road Transport and Safety Bill, the fines for traffic violations were to be increased marginally. However, the new fine structure introduced by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways shows that first time offenders will not be made to pay too dearly. The second time around, you wouldn't be so lucky.
The revised penalties for traffic violations will fall in the Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 bracket, as opposed to the proposed fines going up to a more substantial Rs 20,000.
In light of the draft released for the Road Transport and Safety Bill 2014, Bert had made a quick analysis of the proposed fines, for instance Rs 10,000 for driving without a valid licence and Rs 5,000 for being caught while driving without your seatbelt on.
The question, though, boils down to not how much the penalty is, but how stringently it's enforced. Officials at the Ministry for Road Transport and Highways say that they're revising the fines for the successive offences, that is, trying to introduce steeper jumps in the denominations. But certain authorities are opposed to the astronomical penalty amounts, stating that these will only encourage corruption.
Stay tuned to OVERDRIVE for more developments on this issue.
