From Friday, get ready to pay hefty fines for traffic offences in Bengaluru

For instance, till date, Rs 100 was the flat fine for using mobile phones while driving or riding, now first-time offenders will be penalised Rs 1,000.

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Starting from Friday, commuters in Bengaluru will have to pay much steeper fines for traffic rules violation as opposed to earlier for many offences which have been classified as common causes for road accidents, a state government notification said on Thursday.

“The highest fines are still low considering that the Act is old. Even when it was amended to include offences like mobile phone use while driving, the fines were fixed based on old parameters. These common offences have been identified as causes for a majority of accidents and curbing them is important in view of the society’s well being,” a senior official from the Transport Department told the Deccan Herald.

For example, till now Rs 100 was the flat fine for using mobile phones while driving or riding, now Rs 1,000 will be the first penalty of such an offence while offenders have to pay Rs 2,000 for subsequent violations.

In addition to increasing the fine, the Transport Department notification also said that it has completely done away with different fine amounts depending upon the class of vehicles involved.

The new notification states that driving without the fitness certificate of the vehicle will now amount to Rs 2,000 for the first time and for subsequent offences it will be fined Rs 5,000.

Similarly, driving without vehicular insurance will now attract a fine of Rs 1,000 which was previously Rs 500, while parking violation will cost users Rs 1,000 for the first offence and Rs 2,000 for future offences.

However, this does not mean vehicles which will be towed away by the traffic police will be exempted from the transportation charges. This means effectively two-wheelers will pay Rs 1,650 and four-wheelers will pay Rs 2,000 for their first traffic violation.

To make the public aware of the new traffic fines, DCP (East) KV Jagadeesh said the police will conduct special drives.

“Many in Bengaluru violate traffic rules with impunity as they know the fines are not that high. But now, we hope to see some positive changes in motorists’ behaviour,” a traffic cop told The Times of India.