New Delhi: Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019, has now been passed in the Rajya Sabha after it was passed by the Lok Sabha. There is a consensus among almost all parties on the bill. Piyush Tiwari, CEO of Save Life Foundation, working on road safety and transport systems, claims that the bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha and in next five years, i.e. by 2024 the road accident will be reduced by 40 percent.

The bill provides for heavy fines against traffic rule breakers. Also, if the vehicle has a wrong texture, the safety criteria are not fulfilled, action will be taken against the dealer. If an accident occurs due to road engineering, the contractor or company concerned will be directly held responsible. About 1.5 lakh road accidents occur every year in the country. 

However, the report of the Union Ministry of Surface Transport and National Highways shows that 70 per cent of road accidents are caused by driver's negligence. Piyush Tiwari says that there are several provisions in the bill which will have a direct impact on drivers. The existing MV Act has been in operation since 1988. That is, a fine of 100 rupees for not wearing a helmet or a red light violation is still going on till today.

This is why drivers don't care about traffic rules. In most of the columns, only 100 to 500 rupees are seen in the penalty list. We have urged Union Surface Transport and National Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to ensure a scientific investigation into road accidents. In addition, a separate authority has also been proposed to be set up to probe such incidents. In the new Act, there is no invoice of 100 rupees, an invoice of at least 500 to 1000 rupees is proposed.

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