Road accidents are one of the most common causes of fatalities across the world, and India is no exception. According to a report published on the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways website, road crashes in the calendar year 2022 claimed 1.68 lakh lives and injured more than 4.4 lakh people. While accidents do happen because of shabby roadwork, open manholes, and other infrastructure-related problems, ignorance and carelessness of the drivers is also one major cause of road accidents. To combat this issue and make traffic rules stricter, the Indian government has introduced new traffic fines, effective from 1st March, 2025. Keep reading to know more about these new fines.
Road Safety: New Traffic Fines
From 1st March, 2025, these new traffic fines will be effective. Even though the Indian government already had rules and fines for those violating traffic laws, the system didn’t stop many Indians from disobeying these rules. To make road safety stricter, India has taken a step of introducing steeper penalties for those who don’t follow traffic rules.
Driving Under The Influence
Drunk driving is already a legal offence, however, almost everyday you hear some news about road accidents caused due to the driver being under the influence of alcohol. To combat that, now convicted offenders shall be asked to pay INR 10,000 and/or six months in prison. The fine was INR 1,000 earlier, however, it has increased 10 times now. This is for first-time offenders. However, if you are a repeat offender, you’ll have to pay INR 15,000 as fine and two years of imprisonment. Earlier, this offence would mean shelling out INR 1,500.
Mobile Phone Penalty
No more phones while driving, because that can cost you a lot of money. Many road accidents happen due to the driver using the phone simultaneously while driving. If you’re caught using your phone while driving, be ready to pay a fine of INR 5,000. Before the new traffic fines, you’d have to pay INR 500.
Helmet And Seat Belt Violations
It’s time to buy or use a helmet and tighten that seat belt! The new traffic fines state that drivers caught without a helmet will be charged INR 1,000. Earlier, this fine was INR 100. Whereas, if you’re not using a seatbelt, you’ll be charged INR 1,000 as well.
Missing Vehicle Documents
If you’re caught without a driving license, you’ll be charged a penalty of INR 5,000. If you don’t have insurance for your vehicle, you’ll be paying a fine of INR 2,000. Whereas, repeat offenders in this category will be asked to pay a fine of INR 4,000. And that’s not it, if you don’t have a PUC certificate, be ready to pay a fine of INR 10,000, jail, or community service.
No More ‘Tripsies’ And Racing
Sure, you might get a little excited about going triple seat or ‘tripsie’ with your friends or racing with them on the roads, but that will have stricter consequences now. For those caught going triple seat, the fine will be of INR 1,000. If you’re caught rash driving or racing, be prepared to pay a fine of INR 5,000. You’ll also be charged a fine of INR 10,000 if you are caught blocking emergency vehicles like ambulances.
Jumping Traffic Signals And Overloading
Time to follow the rules of Red Light, Green Light – if you know, you know! Jumping signals will now cost you INR 5,000. Similarly, overloaded vehicles will now have to shell a whopping INR 20,000 – ten times more than the previous fine of INR 2,000.
Fines For Juveniles
There have been many recent cases of juveniles driving rashly, injuring and even killing people. To curb it down, juveniles will be fined with a penalty of INR 25,000 if caught behind the steering wheel. Moreover, they will be subjected to a three-year imprisonment, deregistration of the vehicle, as well as dismissing the grant of a driving license until the offender turns 25.
Summing Up
While it’s true that rules are meant to be broken, it doesn’t apply to traffic rules. With these new fines effective from 1st March, 2025, it will be worth noting how people follow the rules and react to the massive increase in fines. Drive responsibly!
