CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has decided to implement enhanced spot penalties for 46 traffic offences including over-speeding, signal violation, racing, driving without helmet or safety belt, drunk driving, and rash driving which were introduced by the Union government three years ago, from October 28 across the State. The minimum fine for a traffic offence in Tamil Nadu will go up from Rs 100 to Rs 500.
A government order issued on Wednesday by the State Home Transport Department empowered traffic police and transport officials to collect the revised fines on the spot. At present, enforcing authorities send only a handful of cases to courts for paying higher penalty, and most other cases are disposed of with a relatively lesser spot fine.
The other provisions of the Central Motor Vehicle Act, 2019, which prescribed a penalty of Rs 40,000 for trucks for not stopping for weighing, Rs 20,000 fine for overloading of vehicles, and Rs 10,000 for not allowing free flow of emergency vehicles will also take effect on October 28.
However, Rs 10,000 fine for drunken driving and penalty of Rs 25,000 on parents for allowing children, below the age of 18, to drive vehicles will be imposed only through courts. L Nirmal Raj, Transport Commissioner, said, “Spot fine for drunk-and-drive cases cannot be allowed.
Those who drive vehicles under the influence of alcohol will have to be sent for medical examination and their driving licence will be seized. Only after examination, they can be penalised through courts.” Similarly, parents who allow their minor children to drive too will be penalised only after an inquiry, Nirmal Raj said.
Racing to attract Rs 5,000 fine
While spot penalty for driving without a helmet, rash driving, over speeding of vehicles and driving a car without a seatbelt have been enhanced from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000, fine for racing of vehicles has been enhanced from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000.
Heavy penalty will also be imposed for offences such as attempting to obtain driving licence or conductors’ licence fraudulently after being disqualified by a court or transport authority and selling spare parts for altering vehicles. Fine for driving vehicles without permit has also been enhanced to Rs 10,000 from Rs 1,000.
Blocking movement of ambulance will attract a penalty of `. 10,000. Driving a vehicle using mobile phone will attract a penalty of Rs 1000 and Rs 10,000 second time onwards. The current spot fine is Rs 100.
The huge spike in penalty is aimed at improving road rule compliance and reducing road accidents in the State, officials said.