The Rajya Sabha today passed The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019. The bill contains provisions that will make Indian roads safer. The Bill was passed earlier in the Lok Sabha The Bill proposes huge increases in various penalties for traffic violations, protection to Good Samaritans, recall of defective vehicle parts by auto companies, holding builders accountable for poor quality of infrastructure and making vehicle owners criminally liable for violations committed by juvenile drivers.In a survey conducted last year by Consumer Voice, an organisation involved in policy making and complaints redressal, 96 per cent of the consumers surveyed believed that passage of the Bill would help meet the UN mandate to reduce road accidents up to 50 per cent by 2020. Ninety-seven per cent felt the Bill should be supported by all the parties since it was important to bring down fatalities due to road accidents, currently the highest in the world at 1.46 lakh annually. The Motor Vehicle Act (Amendment) Bill 2017 is an important legislation as it will radically change the 30-year-old law.Below are some of the important proposals in the Bill:1) It makes Aadhaar mandatory for getting a driving licence and vehicle registration.2) For deaths in hit-and-run cases, the government will provide a compensation of Rs 2 lakh or more to the victim's family. Currently, the amount is just Rs 25,000.3) In traffic violations by juveniles, the guardians or owner of the vehicle would be held responsibile unless they prove the offence was committed without their knowledge or they tried to prevent it. The registration of the motor vehicle in question will be cancelled. The juvenile will be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act.4) The bill has provision for protection of Good Samaritans. Those who come forward to help accident victims will be protected from civil or criminal liability. It will be optional for them to disclose their identity to the police or medical personnel.5) The minimum fine for drunk driving has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000.6) The fine for rash driving has been increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.7) Driving without a licence will attract a minimum fine of Rs 5,000 as against Rs 500 at present.8) The fine for over-speeding will go up from Rs 400 to Rs 1,000-2,000.9) Not wearing seatbelt would attract a fine of Rs 1,000 as against Rs 100 at present.10) Talking on a mobile phone while driving will attract a fine of Rs 5,000, up from Rs 1,000.11) A Motor Vehicle Accident Fund will provide compulsory insurance cover to all road users in India for certain types of accidents.12) It will be mandatory to alter vehicles to make them suitable for specially abled people.13) Contractors, consultants and civic agencies will be accountable for faulty design, construction or poor maintenance of roads leading to accidents.14) A time limit of six months has been specified for an application of compensation to the Claims Tribunal with regard to road accidents.15) The Bill removes the cap on liability for third-party insurance. The 2016 Bill had capped the maximum liability at Rs 10 lakh in case of death and Rs 5 lakh in case of grievous injury.16) The time limit for renewal of driving licence is increased from one month to one year before and after the expiry date.17) The government can recall vehicles whose components or engine do not meet the required standards. Manufacturers can be fined up to Rs 500 crore in case of sub-standard components or engine.