Don’t empty your wallets: Traffic fines to be cut soon
Except a few penalties, all others will be cut down.
Bengaluru: After meeting with stiff resistance from motorists, the state government is all set to roll back the hefty fines on majority of traffic violations barring a few.
Except driving under the influence of alcohol and the traffic offence related to minors, all fines related to traffic violations will be reduced drastically, the sources said.
The government order is expected in a day or two, the sources said. The new traffic fines are based on the lines of Gujarat, where the hefty fines were drastically cut down.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had announced that the new Motor Vehicles Act cannot be implemented in that state. Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa too announced on September 11 that he will take steps to reduce the traffic fines and he had also given instructions to the traffic department. It is said that the Transport Department authorities here have obtained the order of the Gujarat government to study it and have finalised the revised fines.
It is said that for riding without a helmet the fine will be Rs 100, for driving without a driving license (DL) Rs 1,000 and for not showing the DL it will be Rs 500. For overspeeding too, the fine amount has been reduced, and it will be in the range of Rs 400 and Rs 1,000.
The state government had implemented the new traffic fines from September 4, and since then the traffic police created a record in collection of fines. Many drivers had left their vehicles on the spot unable to pay the fines. It was common to see motorists arguing with traffic policemen on the road.
But the traffic police said that within a span of 11 days, they have seen a lot of discipline among vehicle drivers. “We are waiting for hours now to catch traffic offenders. Hefty fines are working fine,” they maintained.