Traffic violators – watch out! The new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2016 has just been passed by the Lok Sabha and it comes with more teeth to ensure stringent penalties and punishment for those who violate traffic rules and norms. It’s also going to make travelling by road, safer.
Traditionally, India has always taken a lenient view of all those who take to the roads and end up violating rules in some form or the other. The very few who do get caught, get away with a mild rap on the knuckles that barely serves as a deterrent.
With radical reforms now introduced, the Bill will result in introducing 100% e-governance that will lead to greater transparency, speedier implementation of licensing procedure, minimizing corruption by unscrupulous officials from licensing to highway interventions, and improving road safety.
Here are some of the significant reforms that will affect all the stakeholders:
Getting a Driver’s License Made Easier and More Transparent
The process of acquiring a driver’s license in India is one of the easiest and simplest of government documents anyone can get hold of anywhere in the world. The entire exercise is mostly a formality, where money dictates how quickly one can get hold of a permanent driver’s licence, and that too without ever having to visit the licensing authority or passing any driving test.
With the new Bill, that’s going to change – for the better. The entire application process will now become online, where one can get a learner’s licence without having to visit the Road Transport Authority (RTA) or contacting any tout.
For the permanent driver’s license, the applicant will only have to attend and mandatorily pass the driving test before being approved for the licence. So, whether one is a VVIP or an ordinary citizen, the process will apply to all.
100% E-governance Ushers in Transparency
The entire process of vehicle registration will go online, which will make vehicle registration, tracking and monitoring – faster and more transparent. This will also make vehicle theft and illegal sale, next to impossible.
Road Safety Gets Priority
Human life and safety is paramount and the new Bill recognises that. India, unfortunately, has a poor track record on road safety – recording some of the highest number of road accidents and fatalities anywhere in the world.
Take a look at some of the alarming statistics:
- In 2015-16, India witnessed 5,01,423 road accidents, which resulted in 1,46,133 fatalities and left the remaining persons injured. The sheer number of new vehicles introduced on roads each year has outpaced the expansion of road carrying capacity and the road network, across India.
- The national highways recorded 24.8% of all road accidents, followed by state highways with 24%, with all other roads collectively recording 47.6% of all accidents.
- The state with the maximum number of accidents, per lakh population, is Goa, which is five times the national average. The state to record the highest number of fatalities from road accidents, per lakh population, is Tamil Nadu, while Kerala tops the list of maximum injured.
