Bill proposing hefty fines for traffic violations tabled in LS

THE LAW DOES NOT SPECIFY THE AGE OVER WHICH A PERSON WILL HAVE TO WEAR A HELMET WHILE RIDING PILLION, GIVING THE LEEWAY TO THOSE RIDING WITH KIDS

NEW DELHI: Any person above four years old, driving or riding pillion or being carried on a motorcycle, will be required to wear a helmet once the Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, is passed by Parliament.

Failing to wear the helmet will invite a penalty of `1,000 and suspension of licence for three months. Though the existing law makes it mandatory to wear helmet, it does not specify the age over which a person will have to wear the protective headgear while driving or riding pillion, giving the leeway to those riding with children. Only Sikhs wearing turbans are exempted from wearing helmets.

Besides the penalties for traffic violations such as jumping red light and talking on mobile phone while driving, the amendments to the proposed law governing road safety has also for the first time introduced a mandatory vehicle recall policy in case of defect that may cause harm to the environment, or to the driver/occupants or other road users.

Currently, India — among the fifth largest passenger vehicle market in the world — does not has a mandatory vehicle recall policy. In last few years there has been a spurt in voluntary vehicle recall with close to 2.24 million cars recalled since 2012.

Under the new provision, the Centre will be empowered to direct manufacturers to recall a vehicle of a particular type or its variant if a defect has been brought to its notice by either the manufacturer or a percentage of owners (to be notified by the Centre) or testing agencies.

A manufacturer will be mandated to reimburse the buyers for the full cost of vehicle that has been recalled or replace the defective vehicle with another one of similar or better specifications. Failure to do so will invite a fine.

The government will waive off fine only where a manufacturer notices a defect in the vehicle and informs the government on its own besides initiating recall proceedings. KK Gandhi, executive director (technical), Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers welcomed the move to make vehicle recall mandatory.