Salient Features

  1. Road Safety: The Bill proposes to increase penalties for traffic violations. It will act as a deterrent.
    • It proposes stricter provisions for offences such as drunken driving, juvenile driving, driving without licence, over-speeding, dangerous driving and overloading.
    • It also proposes stricter provisions for driving without helmets.
  2. Vehicle Fitness: The Bill includes a provision that mandates automated fitness testing for vehicles. This will improve road safety by removing unfit vehicles.
    • The motor vehicles bill also proposes penalty for deliberate violation of safety and environmental regulations.
    • The bill proposes regulation of the process of testing and certification of automobiles.
    • It also proposes to bring agencies issuing automobile approvals to be brought under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and vehicle testing standards to be set.
  3. Environmental and road health: The Bill mandates the recall of defective motor vehicles if the defect may cause a threat to the environment, or the driver or other people on the road. In such a case, the recalled vehicle’s manufacturer will have to:
    • Reimburse the vehicle owner the full cost of the vehicle.
    • Replace the defective vehicle with another vehicle of similar make.
  4. Road Safety Board: The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 provides for the setting up of a National Road Safety Board by the central government. The National Road Safety Board will advise the central and state governments on all aspects of road safety and traffic management including
    • registration and licensing of vehicles,
    • standards of motor vehicles,
    • standards for road safety and
    • promotion of new vehicle technology.
  5. Protection of Good Samaritan: The bill incorporates Good Samaritan guidelines in order to help road accident victims. The Bill defines good samaritan as a person who provides emergency medical or non-medical assistance to a road accident victim and provides rules to prevent harassment of such a person. Such a person will not be liable for any civil or criminal action for any injury to or death of an accident victim, caused due to their negligence in providing assistance to the victim.
  6. Compensation for road accident victims: The central government will develop a scheme for cashless treatment of road accident victims during golden hour (time period of up to one hour following a traumatic injury), during which the likelihood of preventing death through prompt medical care is the highest.
  7. Compulsory insurance: The Bill requires the central government to constitute a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, to provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India.
  8. National Transportation Policy: The central government may develop a National Transportation Policy, in consultation with state governments. The Policy will establish a planning framework for road transport and will specify priorities for the transport system.
  9. Taxi aggregators: The Bill defines aggregators as digital intermediaries or market places which can be used by passengers to connect with a driver for transportation purposes (taxi services). These aggregators will be issued licenses by state governments.  Further, they must comply with the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Published by Pragyanxetu

One Earth. One Future